Trump was ultimately a failed president. But, to be honest, he has lots of company. The last successful POTUS, who left the country better than he found it, was Reagan. The Bushes, Clinton, Obama, they each failed in their own individual ways, and so did Trump.

Part of the problem is that, as time has gone by, we Americans have come to expect far too much from the POTUS (and, at the same time, far too little from Congress).

Our collective cynicism has made us insensate to the rank corruption of lawmakers (we no longer are even capable of really complaining -- we fall back on tired cliches), but we still expect something from the POTUS. We still hope this time will be different.

And so it begins again. A new birth of hope. I wish Biden well, and I hope he delivers on his promise to deescalate tensions. I hope he does it the right way: with humility and a genuine attempt to listen to the concerns of all Americans.

If he does those things, he has a chance to be successful. If he goes about pursuing unity in a different manner, through casting blame upon his political opponents and further marginalizing them, he will fail, and he will fail spectacularly.