This article is from the archive of our partner .
Despite his inhumanly huge title, one of the ways that President Obama shows is humanity is that occasional moment when he publicly marvels that he's actually president and that it'll be over soon. After his second inaugural address Monday, Obama was heading back into the Capitol when he paused at the top of the steps, turned toward the crowd, and said wistfully, "I want to look out one more time because I'll never see this again." Obama's last look lasted 25 seconds, and it was caught on camera (video below). But Obama has had Obama nostalgia for much of the last year.
Obama's first big hint that he was feeling sentimental came on July 10, when he told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, "This will be my last political campaign no matter what. I've got nothing else to run for." Obama kept noting the "last" things as the campaign continued. The New York Times' Peter Baker reported in November, "With each passing day, aides said, Mr. Obama has taken note every time he passes a milestone." At Camp David, when he was preparing to debate Mitt Romney, Obama said, "This is my last debate prep practice." When he toured the debate state, he said, "This is my last walk-through." After his third debate with Romney, Obama said, "This is my last debate."