Most of President Obama’s second inaugural address was painful. For libertarians. For those who understand the difference between science and opinion. For those who have tracked his administration’s relationship with openness and the rule of law. All of which cringe‐​inducing elements undermined the splendor of this gem:

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

It’s not the first time the president has tied “Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall” together. Here’s hoping more politicians do.