Today I had the privilege of attending President Obama's inauguration. It's difficult to express the emotions attached to this historic event. But as I stood with my family in the huge crowd (1.8 million) who came to witness this event, I felt a mixture of pride, hope, anticipation and optimism about what we can accomplish together.

We stood together - cold, packed in - with Americans from every state and of every race and ethnicity. We had camped out in CGS's office, woke up early, and hiked to join a slow moving and cramped line to get in. We had "good" tickets in the Purple zone, on the Capitol grounds (picture on right). We couldn't really see, the sound was only ok, but we were there. And that's how those around us seem to feel too. The details didn't manner - we were there at a moment when the course of our nation - of our world - was being defined. We were there at the end of the era where a person could be judged by the color of their skin. And we were there at the end of a nightmare when the United States acted as if it was above the law, exceptional, imperial, and dead wrong.

I was impressed by the amount of President Obama's speech that focused on the world. These are good and strong words for those who understand that that we cannot succeed, nor can there be peace, unless our nation understands that we must lead by example and cooperate with other nations to benefit all. It's a breath of fresh air that we now have a leader who believes this too. Here are some of the quotes from Obama's inaugural address that I felt were most important:

"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more."

"our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. … With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet."

"To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

With Obama now at the helm our task, as global citizens, is to supply the energy to help make these changes happen. We must be the voice that keeps our nation looking outwards, that urges it to link arms with others, and to build a world based on the principles of democracy, human rights, and justice that we hold dear.

I look forward to working with you and with the Obama administration to overcome the challenges of our day and to make the dreams of our parents, grandparents and those who came before us a reality.

It's not often that confirmation hearings get me excited, but I can't get over how great it was to hear a cabinet nominee talk about the importance of passing The Law of the Sea Treaty. Yesterday, Secretary of State-nominee Hillary Clinton said the long-overdue passage of this treaty will be a priority if she's confirmed. Her comments were prompted by a question from Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

MURKOWSKI: Will ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty be a priority for you?

CLINTON: Yes, it will be, and it will be because it is long overdue, Senator. The Law of the Sea Treaty is supported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, environmental, energy, and business interests. I have spoken with some of our -- our naval leaders, and they consider themselves to be somewhat disadvantaged by our not having become a party to the Law of the Sea. Our industrial interests, particularly with seabed mining, just shut up. I mean, there's nothing that they can do because there's no protocol that they can feel comfortable that gives them the opportunity to pursue commercial interests.

So, for all of those reasons -- and I mention it in conjunction with the Arctic because I think they go hand in hand -- we've got to figure out where our boundaries are. You know, if people start drilling in areas that are now ice free most of the year, and we don't know where they can and can't drill or whether we can, we're going to be disadvantaged. So I think that you will have a very receptive audience in our State Department and in our administration.

Also at the hearing, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator John Kerry, said he has already talked to the committee's Ranking Minority Member Senator Richard Luger about LOS, and Kerry indicated that the treaty could come up for consideration before the committee very soon. Twenty-six years after the treaty was concluded, and 14 years after it went into effect, the prospects are finally good that the U.S. will sign on. It's been a long hard battle, and it's not over yet. Contact your senators and urge them to support this treaty.

What a wonderful turnout we had for last Saturday's Responsible US Global Engagement call! 184 chapter leaders and activists of CGS and our co-sponsoring organizations took time out on a Saturday to phone in and hear about our priorities for the beginning of the Obama administration, as well as those of some other organizations that are working on the same issues. Most importantly, we went over some specific ways CGS members in every state can help achieve these foreign policy goals. We want make sure our goals become priorities for the Obama administration and that our constituents play a role in drawing up policies on the United Nations, human rights, climate change and arms control. If you are a Citizens for Global Solutions activist, you'll find the information in your January Partners for Global Change Toolkit. Others who would like to get involved can find out how by emailing Laura Hendrick at Outreach@globalsolutions.org.

Sharon Kelly of Human Rights First led off our call with a great assessment of the prospects for achieving some important human rights goals during the next few months. HRF will be working to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center and ensure that the detainees are moved to prisons where they can have regular access to attorneys. HRF also wants to shut down the military tribunal system and try the detainees in the regular court system. Another goal they're optimistic about achieving is increasing accountability for US contractors overseas; they've drawn up a detailed blueprint for this which you can find on their website. Finally, they're asking the new president to issue an executive order prohibiting torture.

Next, Katherine Silverthorne of E3G talked about the upcoming goals on climate change. We should be able to make some major progress on slowing climate change, since the Obama administration has already made it clear that the environment is going to be a key issue for them. Katherine talked about some of the steps they're taking to get the US involved in the next meeting of the UN conference on Climate Change, scheduled for Copenhagen later this year. It will be the last government-level meeting before the Kyoto agreement needs to be renewed, so it'll be a very important gathering.

John Isaacs of the Council for a Liveable World gave us an update on arms control issues. The Council is calling on the administration to resume talks with Russia on a new arms control agreement that would significantly cut U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles, and strengthen the monitoring provisions of the START treaty. The Council also wants Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and it's pressing the administration to bring more countries on board so the treaty can go into effect.

Finally, Todd Shelton of InterAction briefed us on their goals; increasing resources for agencies involved in development and diplomacy; putting a development professional in charge of U.S. development programs and ensuring that that the National Security Council staff includes a senior staffer dedicated to development; ensuring that international talks on the global financial crisis include representatives of developing countries, and that decisions on managing the crisis take account of critical development needs; and lobbying Congress to grant at least as much money for the International Affairs Budget as the current administration has requested.

That's a lot to work toward, but we have a lot of manpower in the combined forces of these organizations. If we all get involved, we can do it. The next step is to go to the Partners Toolkit and find out how you can help. Our new director of Community Outreach, Laura Hendrick, gave us a great list of things we can do to help us reach our global objectives. Again, check your Partners for Global Change Toolkit, or contact Laura at Outreach@globalsolutions.org

I want to thank our co-sponsoring organzations that participated on Saturday's call: 20/20 Vision, the United Nations Association , Women's Action for New Directions, and Americans for Informed Democracy . On Wednesday, we'll be part of a group of organizations releasing a letter to the Obama administration formally calling for the adoption of these goals. Watch for the press coverage of that.

I'm always excited about our bi-monthly Partners for Global Change calls, but I'm especially excited about the one coming up this Saturday. First of all, it comes during the opening week of the 111th Congress, one where we have more supporters for our positions of increased cooperative global engagement than ever. But I'm even more excited about the fact that members of many other organizations will be joining us for a special "Responsible US Global Engagement" conference call. Experts from several groups will highlight human rights, arms control, climate change and development priorities that can be accomplished within the first 6 months of the Obama administration.

Sharon Kelly from Human Rights First (far left) will talk about human rights issues; Katherine Silverthorne of E3G (second from left) will talk about climate change, John Isaacs from the Council for a Livable World (second from right) will talk about Arms Control, and Todd Shelton of InterAction (far right) will be talking to us about international development, all goals we hope to achieve during the new administration.

During the call, we'll let you know what you can do to help advance these goals and how to connect with members of other organizations in your community who are working on the same goals; We'll tell you about activities to increase awarenness and support of our goals among your neighbors; but most important of all, we'll tell you how you can help push these goals to the top of the priority list for our new administration. We want to connect with the 10-million-strong network of Obama supporters who are telling President-Elect Obama what they want him to focus on.

To find out more, go to our website . I look forward to hearing from you on Saturday.

In a rapid introduction to Capitol Hill, this week I attended the Swearing In Ceremonies for many members of Congress. I began my internship with Citizens for Global Solutions [CGS] on Monday, January 5th and found that the next day, I would be attending the Swearing In Ceremonies. Immediately after arrival to the office in the morning, I left with Don Kraus, Bob Enholm, and Richard Thelen, for the first of many parties on "the Hill". The first member of Congress I met that day was Betty Sutton, the representative from the 13th District of Ohio. I was immediately impressed by her forward and friendly manner. Don discussed CGS and we left one of her staff members with a folder that we had prepared. The folder contained information on CGS and letters to the new members of Congress. Throughout the day we would explain CGS as a national non-profit membership group. Our goals are making the United States a more positive international force. We stated our priorites for the upcoming year and shared our excitement for the beginning of a new Congress and a new Presidential Administration. Meeting Congresswoman Sutton was only the beginning of what would be a long day of networking, eating, and doing our best to promote CGS.

In total, we met 30 Congressmen and women, in parties, in hallways, and in offices. My personal highlights came when attending the ceremony for Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Easily recognizable with his tall stature and thick hair, the bigger surprise came when I also saw Ted Kennedy. Before coming to Washington, D.C. and working with CGS, I would have been willing to set high stakes that I would never be in the room with either gentlemen. The crowd at the party listened to John Kerry give a short thank you speech and introduce Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy spoke and stated his excitement in continuing his eighth term in the Senate. Both addressed the party with the gusto that I had always imagined they possessed. Toward the end of our long day, I went with Richard Thelen, to visit the office of my Congressman, Gary Peters, from the ninth district of Michigan. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet him as he was beginning a radio interview. Richard and I talked for a long time with Gary Peter's son and his Press Secretary, named Nate Bailey. Both his son and Nate were friendly and we enjoyed speaking with them. We were pleased to hear that Peters was working to become a part of the Foreign Affairs Committee. After seeing his face on television so often this Fall during the elections, I was excited to just be in his office.

A surprise came at the party for Senator Tom Udall from New Mexico. I recognized Beth Broderick (in the photo on the right hand side), who was once a main character on a TV show called, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch". I introduced myself and found she was incredibly pleasant. In talking to Ms. Broderick, I was pleased to learn how active she is in politics. Broderick got involved in Tom Udall's Senate campaign with friends and she was thrilled to be in attendance at the Swearing In Ceremony. I also met at the party for Tom Udall, representatives from the National Indian Gaming Association. They remarked glowingly about Tom Udall's efforts to help the Native American Community in New Mexico. I saw, but did not meet, Stewart Udall, the former Interior Secretary of the United States and Tom Udall's father. Tom Udall's cousin Mark was also elected Senator of Colorado. Mark Udall is the son of Morris Udall, who ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President in 1976. It was interesting to learn how involved the Udall family has been in politics since I knew almost nothing about the family beforehand.

All in all, my second day at CGS can only be described as a whirlwind. After the day, I had no choice but to be on the phone all night, describing everything in detail to my family back in Michigan. I can barely begin to say how pleased I was to have the opportunity to be involved in so much activity on the Hill.

Citizens for Global Solutions had a great day on Tuesday, as we welcomed many members of Congress to the 111th Congress! Our staff made the rounds of the Swearing-In Receptions, personally greeting and speaking with over 30 Senators and Representatives as they began the new session. What made it even more satisfying was the very high level of enthusiasm we heard for our goals. The congressional representatives we met with thanked us for the support our members were able to give them through the Global Solutions PAC . With so many friends in place, we're even more optimistic now that we will soon see some action on our top goals.

One of the ones we hope to achieve is ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty. I was able to raise the issue with Senator John Kerry at his reception yesterday. As the man likely to be the next leader of the powerful Foreign Relations committee, his support will be key to getting the bill onto the floor for a vote. I expect to meet with his staff soon to talk more about this.

Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio

We also met Senators Ted Kennedy, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Jeff Merkely of Oregon, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Mark Begich of Arkansas, Mark Udall of Colorado, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jim Webb and Mark Warner of Virgina.

I can barely remember all the Representatives we met, including Betty Sutton and Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio, Chellie Pingree of Maine, Niki Tsongas and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania, Mark Schauer of Michigan, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Eric Massa of New York, Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, Emmanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Gerry Connolly, Tom Perrielo and Jim Moran of Virginia, Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, and best of all, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Udall, Murphy, Sestak, Shea-Porter and Tsongas are all on the House Armed Services Committee, while Connolly will be on Foreign Affairs.

Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico

You can be sure that we'll be in close touch with our all our senators and representatives to press our case on getting the US more involved in international peacekeeping, and on stressing diplomacy, rather than arms, to settle conflicts. Hope and excitement are the prevailing moods as the New Year, and the new Congress, begin!