Now that it is over: The Inauguration

The Inauguration was pretty interesting. As someone who is usually bored to tears by pomp and circumstance (sitting through my own graduation was painful), I was quite surprised about how much I wound up watching. True...I flipped back and forth between the coverage and real tv, but I saw much more than, say either convention or any of the debates.

I was particularly impressed with Bush's speech. Freedom, as a basic human right that all people should enjoy...how very Founding Father of him.

And I found some of the responses and reactions to the responses of those who said there was too much religion in the speech. Anything that gets people to pull out centuries of Presidential speeches is amusing...and after that complaint, everyone started bringing out speeches all the way back to Lincoln.

One thing that kinda pissed me off was the reaction of virtually all Democrats, regardless of their opinion of the religion in the speech. Basically everyone I heard complained that Bush did not put details of exactly how he planned to accomplish freedom throughout the world...in a 20 minute speech. (I wouldn't have thought that 20 minutes was enough time to do that, but that's just me.)

Many people also seemed to be complaining that this was a massive departure from U.S. policy. Yeah, the idea that human beings have ineliable rights was really just sprung on us. [/sarcasm]

I even enjoyed the balls a bit. The people attending were so excited, so happy to be there. And when Bush told the people that he wanted to have a dance with the First Lady, not only were the people at the ball thrilled beyond measure, even thought the tv, I was a bit excited.

Of course, that particular moment was not made for tv...Bush said basically the same line at each ball. But it was new for the people at the balls...and boy did they appreciate that line.

It was really nice...and at the last ball, the ball for members of the armed forces, the President put a slightly different spin on it by asking a young servicewoman to dance with him as a serviceman danced with the First Lady. The nervousness was practically dripping off the soldiers, the First Lady and the President were gently trying to get the soldiers to relax...it was quite a lovely moment.