The beauty of our democracy is that through all the ugliness of the presidential campaign and the election, the people persisted and they prevailed. The same is true of the president. He and all those who defied the obstacles in support of him are memorably intertwined.

In his only Inaugural Address, President Kennedy issued his famous challenge: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." In his second Inaugural, Barack Obama told anyone who accepted Kennedy's challenge exactly what they could "do."

On Monday morning, we watched history unfold before our very eyes. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at the studio that evening, the temptation to be distracted from our mandate as Americans was already in full effect.

The president had the temerity to name the unnamable. The people and parts of the country that have never come up in so many prior inaugurals. And there were great lines and better sentiments.

May God be with you Mr. President and Mrs. Obama as you continue to fulfill my dear friend Martin's dream, a dream he shared with two of the greatest presidents in history, a dream that must be made an enduring reality once and for all.

We need coherent policy platforms that are anchored in the proper periodization of time. For as a country and as an economy we are not just at any random moment in history.

This confluence of historic events provides an important opportunity for Americans to reflect on the relationship between King's legacy, the outrage of Citizens United and the broader corruption crisis it has come to represent, and the promise and peril of Obama's second term.

I know, it's late. But you often play with a speech the night before or enroute -- so how about your last Inaugural? Because it requires a thematic spine that endures, may I suggest one that emerges out of your books, talks, presidency: MoneyOut/VotersIn. Until we have a democracy-for-all, your progressive priorities may be stymied by the billionaires, super PACs and suppression that just tried to buy and steal our elections. They'll be back.

* Inauguration lacks the drama of 2009 transition * 'Let us continue' not as dramatic as 'Let us begin' * Second-term in...

When President Obama delivers his second inaugural address on Monday, he'll have a harder time than four years ago at appealing to Americans' yearning for hope and change. But he'll also strive to exceed the expectations that have been raised by history itself.