President Obama's Inaugural Address

[Coyote]

The bits before the speech, well just wow @ all the religious stuff. I just had to imagine a goddamn priest present and Aretha Franklin singing gospel songs at the inauguration of the German chancellor - it's really quite ridiculous.

Unfortunately, that's the part about being in America that is hard to get rid of. I suspect that Obama especially had to play up Christianity because there is still a lot of uncertainty about him from the nutjobs... and sadly, it is hard to get things done without the nutjobs aboard.

No shit, I was watching at work and one guy came in and asked "did he swear in on the Koran? I heard he was going to swear in on the Koran!" and he was surpised when the rest of us told him that was all bullshit.

[Ender]

Did I hear 'when white will do right' from the Rev. Joseph Lowery? What the hell was that?

yellow is mellow

a red man can be a head man

Did I miss something? Was I the only one offended?

Nope. Fuck that guy.

[The Original Nex]

No, she sang "My Country Tis of Thee" (same tune as "God Save the Queen") although it was a very non-traditional arrangement.

It was nice to hear "The Star Spangled Banner" done well for a change, but then the military musicians for these events are always real pros and great performers.

oops I am ashamed. . .

I agree, it was nice to hear the National Anthem performed beautifully without the Hollywood Pop Glitz that many renditions make of it.

[Mr Bean]

Listen to the pregame on the car, then watched it at the local bar here. Took a shot during the Oath. It's not inspirational or memorable but dammit I'll remember this day. The inspirational bit can wear a bit thin but after eight long years I'll take what I can get and enjoy every minute of it.

[D.Turtle]

What irked me the most was all too many people highlighting the fact that this was a peaceful transition - how the whole world is in awe at this preaceful transition, how the rest of the world is in wonder how such a peaceful transition, and the whole world is wondering how come they can't manage a peaceful transition like the US does.

This was on both MSNBC (from their commentators), CSPAN (callers), and also during some of the speeches (I think).

I mean, seriously? I can understand some redneck from whatchamacallit saying that, but not commentators from a major news organization.

But, hey, AMERICA is teh SPECIALZ!!!!

Oh, and congrats for having a sane government again. Obama's speech was great as always.

[Edward Yee]

Just saw Obama's reaction to the "ALOHA HAWAII" group... being a wrestling fan, my initial reaction was "Joe!"

Oh yeah, as for a source re: the Brit article on "American decline," here's the link. Last two paragraphs, which stuck out the most to me.

But first, and underlying all these scraps, Mr Obama will have to find a way of being honest with Americans about their country's fall from predominance. Reading, as I often do, the furiously chauvinistic online reaction from US citizens to any suggestion that their country can be beaten at anything, I quail for him.

We British know something about the loss of empire. Successive 20th-century prime ministers struggled both to manage relative national decline and to make it explicable to the electorate. It is upon this road that 21st-century American presidents must now set foot. Mr Obama will be the first. “Yes we can!” was an easy sentiment to recommend. “No we can't,” will be a far, far harder thing to say.

If Gordon Brown is any indication, it hasn't worked...

As for the religious presence, TIME noted that it in particular wasn't just Christian, but was all evangelical Protestant (even if they were of different views politically)... and that it was Carter who first had such in recent memory.

By the way, charlemagne, what are German chancellory inaugurations like?

[Edward Yee]

What irked me the most was all too many people highlighting the fact that this was a peaceful transition - how the whole world is in awe at this preaceful transition, how the rest of the world is in wonder how such a peaceful transition, and the whole world is wondering how come they can't manage a peaceful transition like the US does.

This was on both MSNBC (from their commentators), CSPAN (callers), and also during some of the speeches (I think).

I mean, seriously? I can understand some redneck from whatchamacallit saying that, but not commentators from a major news organization.

But, hey, AMERICA is teh SPECIALZ!!!!

Well, while part of the reason is due to the high profile and visibility of America and President Obama's inauguration (as for why none of these speaker seem to notice that Western Europe has peaceful transitions too)... I thought that you had to have either a strong tradition of democratic institutions or an intentional effort to shore up new institutions for such to happen.

[CmdrWilkens]

Was anyone watching the CNN feed where Obama said something along the lines of "we must uphold the constitution and not betray it for the sake of expediency" or something along those lines,

then the camera cuts to bush?

someone at CNN has a sense of humor

Actually every network was pulling from the same feed. Didn't matter if you were CNN, FNC, Public Television (which I watched) or one of the Big 3 you got the same camera angles as everybody else.

[Edward Yee]

Silly thought of the moment, after watching the military review... to this day I have no idea how the Marine Corps Hymn lyrics and music are supposed to sync up / be pronounced. I know some of the words, I know the music, but not the pronunciation. (Not a knock on the Corps, of course.)

[Coyote]

Listen to the pregame on the car, then watched it at the local bar here. Took a shot during the Oath. It's not inspirational or memorable but dammit I'll remember this day. The inspirational bit can wear a bit thin but after eight long years I'll take what I can get and enjoy every minute of it.

That's what I told one of my friends... "after 8 years of President Knucklefucker, even Neville Chamberlain would look like Moses".

[Coyote]

What irked me the most was all too many people highlighting the fact that this was a peaceful transition

Well, while part of the reason is due to the high profile and visibility of America and President Obama's inauguration (as for why none of these speaker seem to notice that Western Europe has peaceful transitions too)... I thought that you had to have either a strong tradition of democratic institutions or an intentional effort to shore up new institutions for such to happen.

It is pretty stupid, I admit. Hell, even the Middle East has relatively peaceful transitions from one President-for-Life to another. Certainly Europe, Australia, Canada, much of Asia... eh. Really, only a few usual suspects tend to have bloody coups after bloody coups.

[Edward Yee]

What irked me the most was all too many people highlighting the fact that this was a peaceful transition

Well, while part of the reason is due to the high profile and visibility of America and President Obama's inauguration (as for why none of these speaker seem to notice that Western Europe has peaceful transitions too)... I thought that you had to have either a strong tradition of democratic institutions or an intentional effort to shore up new institutions for such to happen.

It is pretty stupid, I admit. Hell, even the Middle East has relatively peaceful transitions from one President-for-Life to another. Certainly Europe, Australia, Canada, much of Asia... eh. Really, only a few usual suspects tend to have bloody coups after bloody coups.

The latter are certainly more high-profile than the peaceful transitions in less prominent countries, so perspective makes a difference I'm sure. Part of the difference though that this isn't one of those "from one President-for-Life to another" transitions either.

[Patrick Degan]

Wheelchair Cheney is pure poetry!

That and he was in shadow throughout the ceremony. A better visual metaphor could not have been asked for.

And he got on that wheelchair because he was arranging boxes after moving out of Washington.

So goes the "official" story —when we know the real reason was because somebody accidently allowed Count Dick to be exposed to direct sunlight for longer than he can tolerate. They must have moved quickly to move him back under shade and snuff out the flames.

[Wyrm]

Sigh. I hear FOX started in on the "HE DINNT TAKE DE OATH! HEZ NOT DA PWEZIDENT! WAAAHHHH!!!!" spiel.

[Mayabird]

So after an eight year break, back to the paranoia of the Clinton years, but repackaged? Instead of black helicopters and the New World Order, get Muslim terrorists secretly infiltrating the country, and so on?

[Duckie]

The bits before the speech, well just wow @ all the religious stuff. I just had to imagine a goddamn priest present and Aretha Franklin singing gospel songs at the inauguration of the German chancellor - it's really quite ridiculous.

Unfortunately, that's the part about being in America that is hard to get rid of. I suspect that Obama especially had to play up Christianity because there is still a lot of uncertainty about him from the nutjobs... and sadly, it is hard to get things done without the nutjobs aboard.

No shit, I was watching at work and one guy came in and asked "did he swear in on the Koran? I heard he was going to swear in on the Koran!" and he was surpised when the rest of us told him that was all bullshit.

Did any of you mention it was Abraham Lincoln's own bible? That's like, double-sacred to America.

[Qwerty 42]

Sigh. I hear FOX started in on the "HE DINNT TAKE DE OATH! HEZ NOT DA PWEZIDENT! WAAAHHHH!!!!" spiel.

These people apparently have no grasp of Constitutional law. They also probably think David Atchison was President.

Did it bother anyone else that CBS's desk was talking about how Biden was President before Obama took his oath?

[The Spartan]

So after an eight year break, back to the paranoia of the Clinton years, but repackaged? Instead of black helicopters and the New World Order, get Muslim terrorists secretly infiltrating the country, and so on?

I'm already hearing how he's going to ruin America by shutting down Guantanamo. "Oh no! He's going to release all the terrorists and clog our courts and expose our national secrets and we're all going to die!"

I'm already sick to death of hearing people bitching about the whole thing.

[Qwerty 42]

The bits before the speech, well just wow @ all the religious stuff. I just had to imagine a goddamn priest present and Aretha Franklin singing gospel songs at the inauguration of the German chancellor - it's really quite ridiculous.

Unfortunately, that's the part about being in America that is hard to get rid of. I suspect that Obama especially had to play up Christianity because there is still a lot of uncertainty about him from the nutjobs... and sadly, it is hard to get things done without the nutjobs aboard.

No shit, I was watching at work and one guy came in and asked "did he swear in on the Koran? I heard he was going to swear in on the Koran!" and he was surpised when the rest of us told him that was all bullshit.

Did any of you mention it was Abraham Lincoln's own bible? That's like, double-sacred to America.

Technically it wasn't Lincoln's Bible, but it is the Bible Lincoln was sworn in on in 1865 because the family book was delayed in arrival. History, naturally, remembers it as the Lincoln Bible.

[The Original Nex]

Technically it wasn't Lincoln's Bible, but it is the Bible Lincoln was sworn in on in 1865 because the family book was delayed in arrival. History, naturally, remembers it as the Lincoln Bible.

IIRC it belonged to Chief Justice Taney, the author of the Plessy v. Ferguson case, which gives the book a great coating of irony.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Sigh. I hear FOX started in on the "HE DINNT TAKE DE OATH! HEZ NOT DA PWEZIDENT! WAAAHHHH!!!!" spiel.

You know, I thought it was rather cool that Obama became president not after he took the oath but at noon during the performance of "Air and Simple Gifts".

[Grahf: Seeker Of Power]

Well, in case anyone was curious, while at work today I was unfortunately subjected to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity's reactions. They pretty much did the same thing, " blah blah blah, his speech wasnt all that good....people were walking away before it was even done." And every caller pretty much sat their and wanked off with each other about how its going to be the United Socialists States of America. Rush actually said while reviewing the speech " Remember folks, the empty barrel always makes the most noise." What was strange however was listening to O'Reily, he actually was fairly impressed.....Neo-cons are confusing..

[Fire Fly]

Thank Darwin the nightmare is finally over. One thing that I will miss about George W. Bush is that he was great for comedy. Comedic attempts on Obama have so far been downright atrocious and flat.

[Patrick Degan]

So after an eight year break, back to the paranoia of the Clinton years, but repackaged? Instead of black helicopters and the New World Order, get Muslim terrorists secretly infiltrating the country, and so on?

Of course. See how the new thinking is already taking root. The Republikans have discovered recycling.

[Coyote]

People, soak it up, and bask in the light of joy as I write the phrase:

"THE FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH"