Obama-rama!
At noon Eastern American Time (9:00 in the morning here on the Pacific Coast) yesterday, Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America – a club almost as exclusive as that of Australian Test cricket captain (there are only 42 of them!) and arguably, a job almost as stressful. (Please, I'm joking!)
While I could watch the lead up to the inauguration, seeing the motorcade, the vast throngs of people lining the mall in front of the Capitol and the introduction of all sorts of dignitaries and past presidents, I had to head off to work before Obama made his inaugural speech and was actually sworn in. I did get the pleasure of hearing Dubya booed slightly before "Hail To The Chief" was hurriedly struck up by the band, and – even better – seeing the hateful Dick Cheney wheeled onto the podium in a wheelchair (he hurt his back packing his office!), almost invisible to the crowd – a forgotten man, as he should be.
So I had to wait all day to hear what Obama had to say to the world, but the wait was worth it! Here was a quietly confident new President (one capable of stirring, emotional, riveting speech, rather than one who could barely string a coherulent sentence together) who is well aware of the monumental task ahead of him. His speech was a powerful statement of intent and one that left me in no doubt that his election mantra of "change" was not just bluster. To expect one man to change the world is ridiculous – but at least America now has a President they can be proud of to represent them on the world stage. The sheer number of people who turned up in Washington on Inauguration Day (1.8 to 2 million people!) to wish him well is testament to this, and with that kind of support behind him... who knows what can be accomplished? Hope and belief are very, very positive things in these difficult times, and Obama inspires these ideals more than any other politician in recent memory.
Posted in: chaosboy, politics, united states on January 20, 2009 at at 6:51:00 PM
