*exhales in a deep and satisfying way*
Credit goes to $employer, which apparently set up a room for people to watch the inauguration this morning. Sadly I only found out about this now, since some rocket scientist sent a "TEST" email to the Everybody In The Whole Wide World, and my inbox has been flooded with helpful acknowledgments of message receipt, and notifications of failed attempts to recall helpful acknowledgments of message receipt. I expect this to continue all day.
I'm currently without anything profound to say about the inauguration, as it still hasn't fully sunk in. I'm proud and excited, skeptical and hopeful, relieved and resigned, and I wish our president the best because he definitely has his work cut out for him.
To give credit where it's due, even Rush Limbaugh has put partisan bitterness aside and wished President Obama success in solving the problems that face us. Nah, just kidding. Actually he said he hopes Obama fails. Stay classy, Rush!
Actually this helps me understand him and his ilk a little better. Remember how he and the rest of the angry right were claiming that people who thought that the invasion of Iraq was a bad idea actually wanted America to lose the war? I thought that this was just political posturing on his part-- come on, nobody could be quite so gullible and spiteful as to think that people who warned that President Bush was leading us down the wrong path were actually hoping that Bush's policies would lead to failure-- but apparently this is really the way he thinks. In order for his party and ideology to prevail, he feels that the guy who's charged with leading his country through this time of war and serious economic peril has to crash and burn. Well, at least he's being clear about what his priorities are.
While it might be tempting to cheer this sort of thing on, and hope that these people continue to marginalize themselves, I hope they can get their act together sufficiently to serve as a useful opposition party. One party rule tends to corrupt, as we saw in the first six years of former president Bush's administration, and I'd prefer that the Democrats be counterbalanced by a responsible and functional opposition party rather than an ever shriller, ever shrinking group of fringe nutcases. There are positive signs on this front, perhaps, in the fact that some Republicans have begun to talk about how fiscal responsibility might be a good idea, as they generally do when they are not in charge of spending. Hey, it's a start.
Anyway, don't spoil the inaugural address for me, I'll be watching it tonight. I placed a bet with an overseas bookmaking service, and will win £10000 if Obama uses the word "cockthirsty" in his speech.
I'm currently without anything profound to say about the inauguration, as it still hasn't fully sunk in. I'm proud and excited, skeptical and hopeful, relieved and resigned, and I wish our president the best because he definitely has his work cut out for him.
To give credit where it's due, even Rush Limbaugh has put partisan bitterness aside and wished President Obama success in solving the problems that face us. Nah, just kidding. Actually he said he hopes Obama fails. Stay classy, Rush!
Actually this helps me understand him and his ilk a little better. Remember how he and the rest of the angry right were claiming that people who thought that the invasion of Iraq was a bad idea actually wanted America to lose the war? I thought that this was just political posturing on his part-- come on, nobody could be quite so gullible and spiteful as to think that people who warned that President Bush was leading us down the wrong path were actually hoping that Bush's policies would lead to failure-- but apparently this is really the way he thinks. In order for his party and ideology to prevail, he feels that the guy who's charged with leading his country through this time of war and serious economic peril has to crash and burn. Well, at least he's being clear about what his priorities are.
While it might be tempting to cheer this sort of thing on, and hope that these people continue to marginalize themselves, I hope they can get their act together sufficiently to serve as a useful opposition party. One party rule tends to corrupt, as we saw in the first six years of former president Bush's administration, and I'd prefer that the Democrats be counterbalanced by a responsible and functional opposition party rather than an ever shriller, ever shrinking group of fringe nutcases. There are positive signs on this front, perhaps, in the fact that some Republicans have begun to talk about how fiscal responsibility might be a good idea, as they generally do when they are not in charge of spending. Hey, it's a start.
Anyway, don't spoil the inaugural address for me, I'll be watching it tonight. I placed a bet with an overseas bookmaking service, and will win £10000 if Obama uses the word "cockthirsty" in his speech.