On This Day...

Part of my morning routine involves getting on the computer, checking email, visiting my news websites, and then going through my RSS feeds (I can't believe it took me so long to get on that train, by the way). One of the feeds I get is from a girl who is very liberal, and she took time to write about her feelings on this day. I'll include most of it here:

This morning as I listen to it all on the radio and I consider all the advances President Obama has already been making to discuss policy with both Republicans and Democrats, those who support and who disagree with his perspective and even consulting John McCain and President Bush in regards to the economic crisis and war. President Obama's inauguration speech will, undoubtably, be known as the catalyst for our CNN reports to turn from news into poetry. Even as excerpts of his speech are analyzed, the quoting of sentances within his speech are lyrical and loaded with meaning. What I look forward to most is the unification and collaboration of both parties. To have a leader whose process for change is based on asssessing both pros and cons, both Democrats and Republicans, both advocates and critics with the goal of inclusion, understanding and resolutions that will improve our nation and the world, is truly one of the most inspiring moments of our history. The way Obama directly addresses his cynics in the ways of the economy, war, healthcare and energy with an outstretched arm and open hands to suggest working together rather than having our own sides and our opposite fights is exactly the way I have, as an American, always wanted our contry to be represented. As for addressing our enemies at war, to offer a hand of peace rather than a threat of opposing violence by advising the wisdom of peace with the United States, rather than competing with a force that is more than immovable, but unstoppable.

Do we understand that he has speech writers? The guy is, without a doubt, one of the greatest orators in the last few decades, but do we get the fact that the lyrical and meaning-laden words we heard this morning belong to a 27 year-old? With few exceptions, these guys really aren't that involved with the actual construction of the speech, just its final approval and the actual delivery.

What kind of "reaching out" has Obama done? He does not have one single piece of major legislation to his name. He has not fashioned a single bipartisan accord at any level. And I know that President Bush was the consumate bumbling idiot and could never, and never did, do anything right while in office, but the "consulting" between Obama and Bush was at the behest of Bush, not Obama. The transition team that was assembled by Bush is not typical, and is actually unprecedented. But yeah, Obama is the only one reaching across the aisle, I forgot.

Anyway, I didn't really mean to get into all of the issues that I have with that post, but I think it illustrates clearly the somewhat delusional fervor that people have for proclaiming this guy our greatest president before he has even spent the night in the White House. Before the election results, I was as skeptical as anyone about his policies, experience, and questionable associations, but since then he has actually come even more to the middle when he could have clung to his original positions, or worse, lurched even further left having already obtained his goal of becoming president.

Although the highest levels of his cabinet are occupied by very liberal politicians, his fiscal team is actually quite moderate-conservative. His foreign policy has softened continually from his most extreme position of immediate withdrawal, to one that actually resembles almost identically what would have been carried out by a McCain administration. I think the reality of the situation and the facts available to him have forced him to concede that much of his rhetoric spewed during the campaign is not really feasible. So I'm cautiously optimistic, generally, but it's impossible as it stands right now to make any kind of valid judgment in either direction. We don't know that he's going to be the worst president or that he'll be one of the best, because he only took his oath of office less than 4 hours ago.

As far as the inauguration goes, I think I've actually only watched one other one in my lifetime. I was in second grade (I think) when I saw President George H.W. Bush sworn in. I don't know where or what I was doing for all the others, but I was there for that one.

The invocation was nice. I thought the John Williams arrangement of Air and Simple Gifts was exquisite. That quartet of musicians is Hall of Fame quality. If you have any feeling at all, listening to that should stir your soul.

His speech was good. Like I said, the guy can speak with the best of them. As far as content, the rhetoric was typical. He reached out to everyone, ignoring the reality of trade-offs in his propositions because this isn't really the place to expound on that kind of stuff. While the benediction was in some ways amusing, it seemed too much like a speech rather than a prayer. Benedictions are for God's ears, not so much for our enjoyment.

I recently had a conversation with a friend and we were talking about families that are really affectionate, and how weird it can be. Hers barely even hugs, while mine is latin so we hug and kiss on cheeks a lot, even then the cheek-kiss is usually reserved for opposite sex only. I just thought it was funny watching Biden take the oath of office, and then seeing him kiss his grown boys, and it made me think of this skit:

More than anything, today made me sad, not because I was voted for the other guy or anything like that. Sad because, of anyone in the whole world, nobody wanted to see this day come more than our fallen brother, Tupac Shakur. We ain't ready to see a black president, huh? Yes we is, yes we is, brother.

You know what my favorite memory is of this song? It came out my freshman year in college, and as is typical of the dorm life during the second semester at BYU, all the guys were opening their mission calls and inviting everyone over to hear where they were going. Shortly after Dave had announced that he was going to Rosario, Argentina we were sitting in our dorm room just listening to music, still buzzing about his calling. This song comes on and Laura, who is normally very chatty and involved in any conversation, is just quietly staring straight ahead from where she's seated. Song is playing, people are talking, and then all of the sudden she bursts out with "my momma didn't raise no fool!" in a coordinated effort with the song. I love her to death. So vanilla on the outside, but with the richest dark chocolate middle.