F**K GEORGE banner disgusts vets at inaugural ball concert

What. The. Hell. Whether or not the inappropriate and obscene banner is aimed at outgoing President Bush, this is still a tasteless stunt pulled by the George Clinton band. They ought to be ashamed of themselves and never be invited back to state events in the future!

Inauguration crowd overestimated

Before Inauguration Day, some people predicted a crowd of three million coming to Washington, D.C. for a glimpse of Obama. But after Tuesday, it's clear that the number is lower than that. The National Park Service has yet to provide the official estimate, but others are saying around two million or less. That's still not shabby, considering millions more watched the event online -- Obama is already being labeled the first president to embrace technology.

Speaking of which... whatever happened to his BlackBerry?

The start of socialism

Be scared. Be very scared. Dick Morris predicts the Obama presidency's long-term effect to America, and this in particular troubles me:

Will he raise taxes? Why should he? With a congressional mandate to run the deficit up as high as need be, there is no reason to raise taxes now and risk aggravating the depression. Instead, Obama will follow the opposite of the Reagan strategy. Reagan cut taxes and increased the deficit so that liberals could not increase spending. Obama will raise spending and increase the deficit so that conservatives cannot cut taxes. And, when the economy is restored, he will raise taxes with impunity, since the only people who will have to pay them would be rich Republicans.

Morris makes a good point. Our children and children's children will be burdened with what the Obama administration has planned to "rescue" the economy. He concludes with:

So Obama's name will be mud by 2012 and probably by 2010 as well. And the Republican Party will make big gains and regain much of its lost power.

But it will be too late to reverse the socialism of much of the economy, the demographic change in the electorate, the rationing of healthcare by the government, the surge of unionization and the crippling of talk radio.

Is reality starting to set in after the joyous Inauguration Day?

An inauguration, tainted

Everything seemed fine and happy until I noticed this: some people booed Bush when he arrived at the inauguration dais.

These people have absolutely no class. I know Obama would be ashamed to even have such classless supporters.

The inauguration speech

Overall, I think President Obama gave a very good speech after taking the oath. He touched on America's proud history and traditional values. He spoke of faith and religion. He warned America's enemies. He extended a hand to other nations. He highlighted the spirit of Americans.

But he also cautioned about the current economic crisis, ongoing wars, rising health care costs, and global warming threat. What worries me a little is this:

...The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

This sounds to me like more Big Government rhetoric, disguised as a plea to believe in a Big Government that "works." In comparison, here's what Ronald Reagan said in his inaugural speech delivered in 1981, as Larry Kudlow reminds us:

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem.

Obama's promise of government responsibility and accountability definitely deserves applause, especially if he wants to spend our way out of a recession (good luck). When he raised his right hand in front of Chief Justice Roberts and all the world, to take the oath of defending the Constitution, did he realize that the Constitution says nothing about the government's duty to provide jobs at a "decent wage," or affordable health care, or stable income after retirement?

The inauguration was historical and inspiring, and personally, I think that way of all past inauguration ceremonies. The source of this profound awe, however, lies with the U.S. Constitution, and it ought to be the guide to all presidents.

PEBO becomes PBO

Congratulations! The 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, has now officially taken office, oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts.

God bless America!

Already giving Obama too much credit

In less than 24 hours, America will have her 44th president in a ceremony marking another peaceful transition of power of a great nation. Out with the Bush eight years. In with the Obama optimistic four years. Like Courtney E. Martin of The American Prospect, I too envision many participating or watching the inauguration will shed tears of joy and let out cheers of encouragement. Martin writes:

While we must resist the temptation to romanticize this moment into ridiculousness, it is legitimately inspiring.
...
It is the beginning of a more engaged, more hopeful citizenry. With leaders that treat us as more than a 300-million-person focus group, we can effectively hold those leaders accountable. We are no longer a manipulated mass, a nation of children embarrassed by our father's simple-mindedness and impulsive rage. We have stepped into our own power through this election process, grown wiser and more informed than any electorate in decades. Like the wide-eyed children who have found a new hero, we will inevitably be disillusioned, but at least we will be passionate. Indifference and apathy have been replaced with investment and the related risks. I'd much rather live in a country in danger of disappointment than in a nation of indifference.

Personally, I think each inauguration is inspiring. Not just from the ceremonial grandeur or the solemnness of it all. Not just from knowing that the person to become president won in the battle of campaigns. Not just from seeing the profound happiness on the family's faces. It's always a great moment, not just for the new president but also America and her children.

I do appreciate Martin's poetic optimism. However, it seems to come at President Bush's -- the previous administration's -- expense. That's not what the inauguration is about. We do look forward to a different and hopefully, a better, future, but that doesn't mean the past was dark and ill-fated. Citizens will hold accountable Bush as much as Obama. President Bush did not manipulate us. Neither is he simple-minded or impulsive. By all accounts, he's a decent man and tried leader of eight years. At least have the decency to acknowledge that, even if it's not the popular thing to do.

After all, President Bush never cared to be popular. He cared mostly to do the right thing.

King Obama, monarch of United Kingdom of America

Even the Brits are noticing the inauguration events are looking more and more like a coronation of a king. Millions of dollars are being spent on Inauguration Day events, and this during a recession. All I can say is that there better not be a crown placed on his head when he's taking the oath of office.

Funny enough, King Obama may face some cold shoulders in his own royal court of Democrats. To his credit, many people think he really means it when he said he wants to change Washington, be bipartisan, reach across the aisle, etc. And yes, his selection of inauguration speakers, cabinet members and inner circle advisors have illustrated that. But the Democrats in Congress seems to be drunk on majority power already, their leaders Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi publicly reminding folks that they don't work for the king. Minority Republicans may end up being Obama's closest allies in his first term. After all, the king needs friends to counter the influence of Reid and Pelosi.

Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard has some fears about Obama -- and rightly so, now that we've come to know PEBO a little better. My greatest fear is that the likes of Reid and Pelosi, with the help of the media which packaged Obama into a pop star, will decide that this president is their puppet and overstep their authorities.

Moving inauguration day because of BDS

Chris Smith of The New Republic just can't wait any longer for President-elect Obama to become the real president. He's in favor of moving the inauguration to January 1, to welcome the new year with a bang. Well, mostly because he can't stand President Bush:

...Bush clearly doesn't want to hang around any longer, and thousands more jobs will disappear while he keeps the Oval Office warm for the first three weeks of January...

Honestly, I don't think having Obama in the White House on the first day of the year would make any difference in our current economic and global affairs. I know Obama supporters see him as The Messiah, as Mr. Fix-It-All, but he's really just a young liberal politician from Chicago.