I admit it – I am disappointed.

Has Obama done anything that I can stand up and say “Yes!  That is why I voted for him!”?

Not that I can think of.

Maybe if he had politely declined the Nobel Peace Prize – does he honestly think that he deserves it?

Or if he had established a jobs creation program like the Works Progress Administration, or something similar, paying people to put their skills to use in recreating the United States.

Perhaps if he had put his foot down on McChrystal’s request for more, more, more in Afghanistan and said (because he is a Nobel Peace Prize winner) that this is an unwinnable war, and will do nothing to make us safer from terrorism and is asking the impossible of our troops.

If he had stood up for the many marriage equality referenda and legislation that have been shot down by bigoted, frightened zealots, then I could applaud.

If, and I realize this is a stretch, he had used his mandate and the people’s disgust with Wall Street to propose and advocate serious reform of our financial system, well, then I would be dancing in the streets.  (Maybe not, though – it’s damn cold out there.)

Yes, I recognize that I projected all of my frustration and anger and disillusionment that built up over the W years onto Candidate Obama, seeing him through the rose-colored lenses of “not Bush”.

But I never expected that he would turn out to be so much the same:

• not closing Guantanamo Bay
• ramping up military action in Afghanistan
• cozying up to financial fatcats
• surrounding himself with yes-men (and I do mean men – his staff is overwhelmingly male)
• kowtowing to the right wing

We were all so excited and delirious, Mr. President, on November 4th, 2008.  I want that feeling back.  I want to believe that you are different and that you have some grand, complex, intelligent plan in motion that takes the long view and sees the potential in America.  But I am beginning to believe that you are an inexperienced leader who is in over his head and is relying on predatory sycophants for advice.

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Special Correspondent

Shara was allowed to stay home from school to watch the Inauguration proceedings with Ivy and Mara.  Here is her report:

At first we just talked in the really cold basement.  the important part hadn’t started yet.  We huddled under the blanket and just gossiped and laughed while the camera looked out over the crowd.   It looked like static with all the little people and the waving flags.  Finally, the VP and VP-elect’s wives came out and got into their limos.  Lots of clapping blah, blah, blah.  We wanted Obama!!  Next came the VP and VP-elect.  Cheney looked dead in his wheelchair [Aside:  Daniel noted that Cheney looked just like Mr. Potter in It's A Wonderful Life.].  Drama Queen (rolls eyes).  Next came Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.  They got in the limo and drove away.  Finally, Obama and Bush came out.  Wait, are they holding hands?  No…never mind.  They got into the limo (bigger and better) and drove off.  Obama should wear like a gas mask or something cuz of Bush cooties….Ew!

So anyway, then they all came out onto the platform thing that everybody says their speeches from.  There was a lot of booing when Bush Sr. came out.  It was pretty funny.  I’m sure there was booing when Bush Jr. came out, but I didn’t hear it.  There was lots of hand shaking and kissing and hugging and it went on forever.  Then Sasha and Malia came out with their grandma and some rather large lady dressed in fluorescent pink.  I had no idea who she was but she was dressed in hot pink.  They all sat down and the speeches began.

First Biden was sworn in, but we weren’t really listening.  I think Ivy was being silly.  All that really mattered was Obama.  At twelve he became president of the U.S. of A.  The last of Bush forever!!!!!  We were very excited.  We all had high expectations for the speech to follow.  They were reached for the most part.  I won’t go into any detail but the main idea was that we need to stop putting off the important decisions and take action against the forces threatening to ruin our planet.  It was powerful.  Then came some priest dude who spent a whole 15 hours talking to god (he wouldn’t shut up) and then came a poet lady who Pronounced Every Word.  But my personal favorite was an African-American man who had been with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  His speech was the best.  I can’t put any of it down but I can say that it moved me.  He ended it with a couple of rhyming lines the last of which being “And the whites will do what’s right” (they had been about skin color).  Obama had made a reference to segregation in his speech.  About how he was now the highest elected official when 60 years ago, his father wouldn’t even have been served in some restaurants.  It was incredible.

Now, of course, to outfits and people.  Well, there was the fluorescent pink lady with the girls.  Malia had on this blue coat/dress thing with a black collar and buttons.  Sasha had on an orange and pink dress.  The under part was orange and the top was pink.  So cute!  Obama’s family is very nice looking.  Malia is gorgeous.  It’s unfair how beautiful she is.  Michelle is also gorgeous.  Sasha is the cutest thing in the world and Obama is Obama.  Anyway, Michelle had on this yellow coat with matching dress thing and green gloves (we didn’t get the gloves but whatever).  Those were all the exciting outfits although there was some lady, I don’t know who, who had on a scarf that looked like it was made up of comics.  All the men wore suits (boring) and most of the women wore dress suits (blah).  Of course then there was Aretha Franklin who had on this amazing hat with a bow on it the size of her head.  It was pretty great.

So now I’m done with my report, thanks for letting me stay home.  Now I’m stopping:  my hand hurts.

**************

That night as I tucked Egon into bed, I kissed him and said “Happy Inauguration Day.”  He replied sleepily, “Yea, finally a president with brains.”

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O!

Today is one of the rare few days when I regret not having a working television set.

Also, someone in HR at the Wisconsin Department of Administration scheduled a 4-hour new employee orientation session for today.  Starting at 11:00.

I was late.

We huddled around Kate’s computer, as she had “premium access” to live online streaming video of the events.  Caught the tail end of Rick Warren’s invoca-whatever.  Which he read verbatim off his notes, never looking up once to address the crowd.  Religion should not be part of this occasion.  It is solemn enough that we can dispense with the exclusion of those of us who are not Christian.

Then Biden was sworn in, grinning like a banshee.

And, finally, at long last, Barack Hussein Obama became no longer “president-elect”, but instead President Obama, 44th President of the United States of America.  I have such a feeling of hope and optimism and gratitude.  As I said to Daniel on the way to Sonya’s celebration party, Obama won’t be governing for 2012, he’ll be governing for the future of our country.

I haven’t heard his inaugural speech yet.  Daniel was discussing the speech at the party and I asked, Are you reviewing it?  To which he replied, No, just gushing at this point.  The Huff Post summed it up thusly:  “Grow up, America.”

Change has come.  Change waits for no one.  Check out the new White House webpage:  www.whitehouse.gov

I am excited.

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