Reflections from Inauguration Day

I don’t know if I have yet to fully comprehend how I will look back on the trip to Washington, D.C. ten or twenty years from now.

In my opinion, the election of Barack Obama is the biggest news story of the 21st century. September 11th is a close second. Some may argue with that.

To be down at the mall for this event is something none of us will ever forget.

Having grown up in the Washington, D.C. area I’m used to largess, and grand events. None comes close to this in scale. I tell people I’ve seen a million people down on the mall for events…this was several times that.

One of the most impressive aspects of the inauguration was the fact that there were at least two million people there yet no arrests were reported! Perhaps it was the feeling of brother and sisterhood, a feeling of hope for America and the world, or the unprecedented number of police and security personnel?

There WAS animosity on the mall, for the former president. When George and Laura Bush climbed the stairs to Marine One many in the crowd booed, and booed loudly. It continued as the monitors along the mall showed the aircraft fly over the buildings and museums downtown, to Andrews Air Force Base, where he hopped a flight to his home state of Texas.

I shouldn’t be surprised…George Bush left office with an approval rating almost as low as the frigid Washington temperatures. But on a day when the overall feeling was joy, it reminded us that we’re in America, where people are allowed to voice their opinion, no matter who the target is.