Some Observations

Liked the style of Michelle's outfit, but not the color. The necklace was nice, though. The girls looked adorable, and I thought for a minute that Malia had a BlackBerry or some such...texting during Dad's inauguration! But it was just a camera, which was equally charming.
What must they have going on inside their heads...probably not a coherent thought.

The fluff of the Presidential oath first appalled me, then amused me when he just laughed it off and corrected the Chief Justice, who is probably going to go home and commit seppuku for the dishonor of it all.

Loved seeing the Prez looking up at and waving to the people atop the buildings of the parade route, not just acknowledging the folks right alongside the roadway.

Nice to see the First Couple holding hands all the time. And when Michelle wanted to change her waving arm from left to right, she grabbed Barack's hand with her free one, just so she was always holding on to him. Very sweet.

The Bidens seem quite pleased with it all, and I liked hearing the initial introduction of "Vice President-elect Biden and Dr. Biden". She looked very foxy in the high-heeled black boots.

Hope that Teddy Kennedy is okay after the seizure during the Capitol luncheon.

LOVEDLOVEDLOVED the Rev. Lowery's benediction. And you just bet I said Amen three times!

Did NOT care for Rick Warren, that smug, oleaginous pimp for Christ. Could he have BEEN more excluding?

Would have liked to have had a shoutout to Buddhists, Shintoists, Taoists, Pagans and Witches, though.


This gladdened my heart: from the LA Times:

On the drive to Capitol Hill, the current and future presidents passed protesters carrying signs reading "Arrest Bush." When Bush entered the grandstand with the orchestra playing "Hail to the Chief" for the last time, the crowd below began singing a different refrain: "Hey, Hey, Good-bye." One man waved his shoe.

I would have liked to see a whole FUSILLADE of shoes, a whole asteroid shower of footwear, aimed in Shrub's fleeing direction.


Parade is great so far, though some horsies would be nice. I do love a good parade, and when I was a tiny Girl Scout I marched in several, one of which I even got to carry the flag in, which was nicely militaristic.

And he gives a SHAKA TO THE KIDS FROM HAWAII!!! And so did his daughters! As his old high school's marching band goes by, Punahou on Oahu. How cool is he! Our first bodysurfing Hawaiian president!

Oh, and here ARE horses! With Native Americans riding them in full regalia. Excellent!

And bagpipes! Always a very good thing. I remember once, on St. Patrick's Day long ago, our local AOH band in Babylon, Long Island, the awesome Saffron Kilts, marched in the parade that day and then had to go straight to the airport and jump on a plane to go down to D.C. to play for the then President, Carter maybe? My sister, who knew some of the Saffs, said there was much consternation at the airport when forty men with knives in their socks tried to rush on board the plane...

Hmph. The reviewing stand emptied out pretty quickly...

If Hillary had gotten in, which is the outcome I was pulling for (and not just because of this), I would have been there right now, thanks to my wonderful honorary nephew Fernand, who worked hard for both Kerry and Hillary. Let's see, what WOULD I have worn to the ball? I think this lovely Victorian-style ballgown I have, with big leg-o'-mutton sleeves, flared out at the upper arm and tight-sleeved with buttons from elbow to wrist, Empire style with a little train and a low scoop neck, in mulberry velvet; with the aquamarine and rose diamond Victorian demi-parure Jim gave me as a wedding present. (Hey, you KNEW it was going to work its way around to clothes and jewels sooner or later...)



Okay. Now for a bit of reflection.

Obama wasn't my first choice, as you may recall from reading this blog. Or even my second. In fact, I'm not even sure he ever was a "choice" at all. I voted for him because the alternative was utterly unthinkable, and I was very happy to do so.

But I never really drank the Kool-Aid, and I still haven't. I don't know if that's because I have genuine reservations, which I don't think I do anymore (though I did, based solely on his lack of experience on a national level), or because I'm just a journo at heart and we tend to stand away and observe with wary eyes, since that is what we've been trained to do and also because it's how we are; hence our choice of career.

Of course I think it's a huge, tremendous thing, for the country and the world. I have come round to thinking that he's the right person at the right time, or the wrong time, depending on how you look at it. It's incredible, many times more so than if it had been Hillary as the first woman President, which would have been historic in a very different way, but not as unifying and euphoric as this undeniably is, even for us cynical hacks.

I think he's an admirable family man and a literate, thoughtful individual, and what he's accomplished is truly staggering. I was out in the streets of my neighborhood on Election Night, cheering with my neighbors at the victory. And I certainly wish strength to his arm in what's going to be a rugged, harsh job.

I'd be thrilled to see him turn out to be one of the greats, and as far as I'm concerned he can take all the time he needs to do so. If anyone can be, I think he's the one.

And he's Not!Shrub, which is a joy and a wonder all to itself.

So yes, I am a happy 60s chick this day. A day that, frankly, I didn't think I'd live to see.