- I kinda wish the cameras weren't so intrusive. It takes away some of the mystic, the magic, of seeing the presidents (past and present) and their families make their entrance. Rather than seeing them for the first time entering the dais in front of the Capitol, we see them leaving the White House entering their respective cars in the motorcade. Their grand entrance isn't so grand anymore when you're talking about getting into a car in a driveway. But, I understand the cameras. They captured the dignitaries making their way through the halls of the Capitol - casual and calm. They captured the presidential traffic jam as Bush 41, Clinton, and Carter all met in the hallway before taking their seats. And they captured Sasha and Malia walking so proudly down the hallway - radiating their youth and excitement. I get it - I just wish there were a way to better balance the curiosity and the mystic.
- These people are people - just like you and me. They probably don't want to get out of bed every single day at some god-forsaken hour, they don't like some vegetable like broccoli, they have a running dialogue going on in their heads, and some sort of need or desire within them that no one else knows about. They must have been quite humbled and thrilled by each step taken towards that stage, awed by the numbers of people standing in front of them waving their American flags, clapping their hands, and shouting their praises! And they must be a least a little apprehensive, a little nervous, a little worried about the task that lays ahead of them - whether it's to retire to Texas and see how their legacy unfolds, or to take on very real and very difficult challenges, or to start a new school as the President's daughters. "They" are people too.
- I must say I laughed out loud when poor Mr. Obama got a little caught up in the moment and rushed his oath and forgot his lines. I was all weepy-eyed before that but that moment, going back to the comment above, reminded me that he's a person too. There will be mistakes, there will be embarrassments, but you have to just keep keepin' on.
- I'm a little confused as to why the Vice Presidential oath is so much longer (almost twice as long) as the Presidential oath. The VP must swears to protect the constitution against all enemies - foreign and domestic, that he takes on this responsibility freely without mental reservation. The President swears to protect the constitution. Period. Yes, the exact same Presidential oath has been used for every president since 1789 and is dictated in the Constitution, and the Vice Presidential oath is not, but it still seems a little odd to me.
- I must admit that I am one of the cynics Obama spoke of - one of the people who says he's promising too much too fast. He wants sweeping change, and he's making sweeping promises to effect that change. I just don't know that it's possible. I hope it is, but I have my doubts. Time will tell. And along those same lines, it seems to me that there is a desire and an expectancy that this change will be immediate. That today marks the first day of this so called change. But really, when have you ever seen anything of this magnitude turn on a dime? Change happens over time - change is what got us to where we are now and it didn't happen over night. This new presidency, this new era, will change things - every new presidency, every new era does. That is part of why I'm a skeptic - because "change" is so general and so constant. I'm eager to see what he does and how things turn out, but I do not for one minute think that today is the day of change. Maybe this year, maybe this term, maybe it was last year, but I don't fall into the trap of thinking that there will be an immediate change. Yes, I believe that things will be different tomorrow than they were today because of what happened today - that is true of every single day of a persons life. History determines the future. But the kind of change he is calling for - that's not so immediate.
- And finally, (this has nothing to do with the inauguration but I thought I'd throw in it in here) while I was on wikipedia trying to figure out whether Obama's kids were adopted (because I swear that while Sasha and Malia were walking down the hall that the commentator said their "birth" mother was behind them) I realized that The Obama's were married exactly 11 years before Eric and I were - we share an anniversary. Nifty huh? And Malia was born on July 4th which is a pretty cool birthday to have.
Anyway, it should be an interesting term, or terms, with a very young, inspiring, charismatic leader in our midst.
i watched the cbs version (i think, the one with katie couric) and right before Obama was sworn in, couric noted that it was 12:05pm, and that bush's term ended at 12:00pm. since biden had been sworn in, he was officially the president for five minutes. there's some trivia.
ReplyDeletei laughed a little too at the rushed oath, and i though his seemed shorter than bidens.