Anchor Robin Meade

This is the day … an historic event for the United States. The nation’s first African American president will be sworn in. I think it’s fair to say, no matter who you voted for in the election, this is indeed a monumental occasion.

Are you in D.C.? Are you there in spirit? Share your thoughts on this momentous occasion.

All morning, we’ll bring you the latest on the pre-inauguration events. Then, starting at 11am eastern here on HLN, I’ll be anchoring special coverage, including the live swearing-in.

I’d like to know your thoughts today about the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Does it carry a certain meaning for you … for your family?

As you watch today’s coverage, what will you be looking for? The people? Maybe the faces … the expressions in the crowd?

Or perhaps it’s Obama’s speech that’ll capture your attention?

And … what do you want to tell President Obama today?

I’d love to read your comments on the air - so post away below! And if you’re watching the inauguration … from work, from home, or perhaps if you’re there in person … we’d love to SEE your reaction. Send in your iReports to cnn.com/robin

News Correspondent Richard Lui

85,000 politicians, delegates, everyday people, and journalists watched as Senator Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African American to hold a major party nomination. He took to the stage at Denver's Invesco Field to give the keynote speech of the night and convention.

With expectations high, Obama's spoke over the course of 45 minutes covering a lot of ground from countering John McCain's attacks head-on, to laying out new details of how he plans to change the country, to his upbringing and family.

Sen. Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for the presidency Thursday night.

Did you have the chance to see it? If not, you can see part 1 and 2 by clicking here, we'll take you there. CNN Analysts for the most part gave Obama's speech a thumbs up. On our CNN.com Report Card, Obama got four As, and one C; that's a 3.6 grade point average the way we used to do it college. Those who gave him a high grade said things like he "demonstrated great strength and confidence" and "he was specific enough to give comfort to those seeking more meat." Some who weren’t so impressed with his speech said things like "once you remove the gloss, tonight's speech was the same tired Democratic rhetoric of the past 30 years."

But enough of the analysts, what do you think of Obama's speech, thumbs up or down? And for that matter what did you think of the whole week? We've been watching the ratings and viewers have been watching all the networks with numbers up as much as 88% the first night compared to 2004. And when you add up the numbers, almost one in ten people in the US were watching the DNC live as it happened. When it comes to TV, those are big numbers. This isn't even counting the online viewers.

To give you some background, here are some estimated stats of the DNC and RNC conventions:

DNC Estimates
. Total attendees: 50,000
. Convention budget: over $71 million
. Economic Impact on area: over $160 to $200 million (host committee estimate)
. Volunteers: 10,000 estimated (some 20,000 signed up to volunteer)
. Media: 15,000!

RNC Estimates
. Total attendees: 45,000
. Convention budget: over $73 million
. Economic Impact on area: over $150 to $160 million (host committee estimate)
. Volunteers: 10,000 estimated
. Media: 15,000!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the US political process at work so far.
If you did see parts of the DNC, did it change your mind; solidify some of your thoughts, or both? And what did you make of Obama’s speech?

And next week we’re following the Republican National Convention. What do you hope to get out of the RNC? And what do you think Senator John McCain needs to do to win?

Post your responses below, we'll definitely read them, and share them on Morning Express later today.