"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not men. Here, the people rule.".....Gerald Ford

As I watched the helicopter lift off, carrying former President Bush and his wife, I couldn't help but think of these words from Gerald Ford's address to the nation after Richard Nixon resigned.

I'm not a conspiracy fan, but there were times I honestly wondered if we would see this day. It would not have surprised me at all if some contrived "national emergency" allowed Bush to pull out one of those secret executive orders which would suspend the Constitution during a time of national crisis. He didn't assuage my fears with his comments about how dictatorship is great as long as he's the dictator.

Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. Our long history of peaceful transfer of government continues unabated. Former President Bush (God, that feels good to say) handed over the government with grace and dignity.

It feels pretty good to feel pride in my country once again.