Tuesday, 1/20

Short one today. Here's the quick speech response I wrote on the messageboard I frequent:

"I laughed when he screwed up the Oath--I was actually waiting for Biden to do it, but it fell to the Big Man. It was a pretty good speech, some parts I didn't like but some were really inspiring. My favorite part was the John Williams quartet though--Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, come on baby! I gotta say, I'm something of a self-admitted religious apologist a lot of times, but it still really annoys me to open and close the ceremony with prayers. Jesus, people! ...Har har. But really, the tenacity of a ****ing clergyman to pray "regardless of religion" to the Judeochristian God. Pfft. What a hoax."

Turns out the guy reciting the Oath to Obama is actually the one who screwed it up--he forgot the paper or something, so he ad-libbed. Obama probably had it memorized, and that's what screwed him up. I'm sure some right-wing nut-job will claim he isn't the real President because he didn't take the Real Oath. Yadda-yadda, people always find good ways to justify madness.

I will say, another of my favorite parts was watching Obama saunter through the building just before he emerged--his confidence and bravado was pretty stunning, and very well-calculated. A performance to remember, for those of you interested in the theatrics/cinematics of politics. Actually, Obama is fantastic to watch for that--his performances throughout the entire campaign, in relation to the camera and to its interaction with his crafted image and with the internet, has truly been amazing. He is a genius, and he is surrounded by genius--his wife and the rest of his team are all brilliant as hell. It's encouraging, going from an idiot to a genius. Things just might get better.

I will note a slight tinge of regret that I didn't take my GWU friend up on her offer of a weekend in DC leading into the inauguration. I have numerous friends there now. I'll have to ask them about it. Historic moments don't come along too often. Ah well, I was warm and able to hear every word, and I didn't have to stand for hours waiting.