Inauguration: A Day in Pictures
It has been a week already since the historic election of Barack Obama as our 44th President. The enthusiasm has died down some and instead of parades and inaugural balls we have press conferences and speculation about what version of the bailout bill will pass in Congress. As much as it may have seemed like Barack and Michelle were the latest couple from the Bachelor if you watched the Inaugural Ball, he was elected to run the country. It is not always a glamorous job. I had a post before the election on my other blog about the post-inaugural hangover, but for now let’s take a moment to look back at that magical day on January 20, 2009.
(Left) A beautiful photo of the White House the night after the inauguration. President Obama was probably still at the inaugural ball when this was taken.
(Right) President Obama taking the oath of office. Normally I would make a joke about Chief Justice Roberts here, but I saw the look Obama gave to Vice President Biden when he tried to make a cheesy joke about Justice Roberts so out of respect for the President I will abstain from making such a joke at this time.
(Left) A woman extends her arm to cheer for Obama with a smile from ear to ear.
(Right) Some people chose to use this day as a day to protest knowing that there would be plenty of media coverage.
(Left) Not everyone was subtle about their protesting. Really why celebrate an historic day when you can instead make a citizen’s arrest. Seriously is that the sort of message Obama would preach. It is especially inappropriate because he apparently arrested Ross Perot instead of our former President George W. Bush.
(Right) See W. is in this photo here. The crowd booed him. It seems a bit harsh although I do respect them not giving him a variation of Yankees Suck. If he threw out the first pitch at Fenway he would get that or a long derisive drawn out W taunt.
(Left) King’s dream come to fruition in the form of Barack Obama. Not sure Obama would be bold enough to put it in those exact words, but it does say much about how far we have come.
(Right) The Obama Store had many items for sale including, but not pictured, Hope on a Rope. A bar of soap carved into the famous Obama poster with the word hope on the bottom. Well not really, but I wish I had thought of it before now. Maybe I would have been less ambitious and just carved the word hope into a regular bar of soap like they do with Dial or Irish Spring.
(Left) The crowd trying to get out of the mall. No jokes about the store being all out of memorabilia.
(Right) Because we have tie-dyed tshirts and posters. The person who took this photo noted that it looked like Lavar Burton from Reading Rainbow instead.
(Left) Waving the Obama flag. No it is not the flag Obama is going to use instead of our current flag. During the primaries when Obama was in front of a bunch of flags at a press conference a few conspiracy theorists in the media said that he was using his own special Obama flags next to the U.S. flag. It was not that or a flag paying tribute to Oprah. It was the state flag of Ohio.
(Right) The National Guard taking a moment off from guarding our nation to join in the celebration.
(Left) Yes we did. Yeah I know I did not really do much, but just let me enjoy it a little while longer.
(Right) Lady Liberty and her less famous husband Roger. It is sort of like Oprah and her boyfriend. He is probably a good guy, but he will always be in her shadow. Plus he wishes she did not always carry that torch around and wear the hat.
(Left) My favorite part of the television coverage was on ABC when one of the commentators was confused by people being able to walk on the water. No it was not some magic created by Obama that is usually what happens when water gets cold enough. It freezes and people can walk on it. No truth to the rumors that Obama will walk on this as part of his summer television special with David Blaine.
(Right) Yes even though soccer is un-American those who enjoy it are allowed to celebrate the inauguration. Although once you turn thirty you must renounce soccer or be exiled to Brazil immediately. Okay Brazil has its strong points, but if you ever saw City of God you know it also has its flaws as well.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have the first dance as the first couple. They are serenaded by the lovely Beyonce to her hit although the Single Ladies, which now that I think about it seems inappropriate. I’m being told it was actually the song At Last, which is more appropriate, but is usually played at weddings. Yes it did seem like a post-wedding party. Just like the wedding after party you better have fun now because tomorrow is a whole new world.
Footage of Vice President Biden and President Obama being sworn in respectively. I Joseph Biden grew up in a small town in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I take the train home every night from Washington, DC to Wilmington. Delaware. Joe that isn’t in there there. You can’t ad-lib the oath. Tell that to Justice Roberts. Sorry Mr. President I set him up for that one.
(Left) Jubilant cheers as President Obama has just taken the oath of office.
(Right) Another picture of the oath being taken by Obama this time on the jumbotron this time with first lady to be Michelle Obama front and center smiling and looking proud of her husband.
(Left) The preview area where the first family viewed the parade.
(Right) Party!!! There were more pictures of the partying at the inaugural balls, but I chose to limit them to just this one.
They ddn’t get a picture with the President, but they did get one with Lisa Edelstein who plays Dr. Cuddy on House. I am somewhat jealous that I did not get to go see an historic celebration and get my picture taken with Dr. Cuddy, but I would have been inconsolable if it had been Dr. Cameron or Thirteen instead of Dr. Cuddy.
Now that we have looked back it is important to remember the optimism you felt on that day and carry it forward. It is difficult to do. I read in the paper today that North Korea, Iran and Cuba are looking forward to better relations with the United States under the Obama Administration. Normally I would mock such a wide-eyed assessment of the state of global affairs magically changing because of one man, but instead I remember the words as though it were yesterday. Si Se Puede. I’m not sure what they mean, but when Obama says them I believe them.
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