Well, a raspy-voiced Chief Justice William Rehnquist swore in George W. Busg for a second term today. I note he added the line "So help me God" at the end, which is not part of the official oath but hasa been customarily added since George Washington did so.
I caught most of the speech this morning live, and I've pieced together the rest from news coverage. I noticed:
Bush had a great line about race: "And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time." In an ironic twist, the camera panned the audience -- a sea of white faces.
Read the complete text here.
Near the end of the speech, applause erupted from the crowd assembled below the platform. President Bush, looking slightly started that a line had garnered that much applause -- it was slightly out of place at that point -- paused for about a half second. The camera cut to the audience, and law enforcement officers moved across the screen. This from The Washington Post: "Those who came to celebrate Bush's second term weren't about to let anyone ruin their day. When the president neared the end of his inaugural address, several women stood up from seats in front of him and began shouting anti-Bush slogans. As security guards moved in, a man in suit and tie rolled up a snowball and hit one of the women in the face. The crowd stood and cheered."
A colleague noted today that the theme of the speech was American liberty and freedom. This at the same time protestors were corralled well away from the Capitol and the tightest security ever resulted in searches and other restrictions.
One of the "entertainment" pieces was a rendition of "Eagles Soar," a song written by John Ashcroft, the so-called "Singing Senator." At least he didn't sing that dreadful ditty himself.
It's all downhill from here, folks. Let's get on with it.
-- Wenatchee, Wash.
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