Barack Obama is the first African-American President. That alone is a historic achievement, but the fact that it was such a difficult campaign, in which he came back from behind, makes it even more significant. Throughout the campaign, Obama had tremendous confidence and discipline, and even when others doubted him, he didn't doubt himself.
I nominate the waiting billions. In 2008 the world renewed its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals: its promises to the global billions of poor and disenfranchised. These people are waiting for us to meet our deadline by 2015. They are waiting for us to keep our...