A presidential inauguration always affords an opportunity for renewal and reflection, like a deep, cleansing breath before plunging ahead into the job that awaits.

At few times in American history has that opportunity seemed as potent as it does today. Day One of the Obama administration represents a national yearning — for a different approach to government and a unity of national purpose.

And Barack Obama is the living symbol of that very real potential for change. As the first African-American elected to the presidency, he demonstrates that America indeed can fulfill its promise to every member of its diverse society.

That in itself is a change worth celebrating.

But there is no time to lose in capitalizing on this moment of renewal, to set aside the barriers that divide America as a nation, politically and socially. A weariness with such divisions was, in fact, one of the forces that propelled Obama's successful campaign.

The current wash of euphoric optimism likely will fade over time, but it can also help jump-start the push toward common goals.

Nobody disputes the crushing problems: two wars, looming financial collapse, environmental degradation and a lapse in U.S. pre-eminence as a world power of economic and technological influence.

It will take cooperation at uncommon levels to bring together the minds and hearts needed to find a way back. Such cooperation is not unprecedented. The nation has come together in dark days, to recover from the Great Depression, to unify behind the campaigns of World War II, to fight back from the devastation of 9/11.

There are, at least, hopeful signs. Obama already has taken a bipartisan approach toward his Cabinet appointments.

Cooperation now must go beyond the stage of talk and posture, and translate into action that sets aside empty partisan dogma.

Most critically, there needs to be a middle ground on the economic recovery package, one that leverages the fiscal power of the government with targeted tax cuts to promote spending and job creation.

Policies for financial accountability need to be recrafted to correct the errors of the past — in the real estate markets, banking and other financial sectors. This is one way to ensure that "responsibility" — the theme of the inaugural — is the watchword of everyone from the homebuyer to the Wall Street financier.

There needs to be a redeployment of U.S. defense forces that acknowledges the changed realities, at home and in the trouble spots of the world. The U.S. simply cannot afford continual unilateralism; two wars already have stretched national resources to the breaking point.

The U.S. needs to work with its global partners to achieve a less destructive relationship with the planet's natural resources. The development of renewable energy sources and the shift away from fossil fuels, for example, should be a goal shared across the political spectrum.

It will be difficult to stay this course without periodic reminders of our common aims. Obama, who is such a skilled communicator, needs to issue renewed calls for a unity of purpose.

Is such a unity possible, while echoes of a rancorous campaign still reverberate? Consider this: The Democratic president is being sworn in on the Bible of a Republican predecessor and has embraced many of his strategies that cast aside partisan politics — such as the hiring of former rivals for the talents they bring to his administration.

Perhaps citizens today should remember that this is the country of Obama and Lincoln. What separates them — a party label — is less powerful than the ideals that unite them, and all Americans.