New President

A few preliminary notes: 

*We have come to expect nothing but greatness for Barack Obama's speeches, and this was one was well-delivered and inspirational.

I thought it was striking how thinly disguised the reputiation of the previous administration was, specifically the line, "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" a line clearly referencing the previous administration's policy on torture, and the line criticizing those who think, "our system cannot tolerate too many big plans the discussion of the government." Diane Feinstein's short speech was pretty partisan too....

*I was struck by how much blue there was on the stage. I wonder if (and surmise that) Obama chose his red tie to go with his white shirt and blue background.

*Sometimes when NBC panned to a reaction shot, people broke their reaction to the speech and reacted to being on television. So the whole point of the reaction was lost.

*Beyond these small observations, the whole scene was remarkable in the combination of its massive scope and relative observed simplicity--a few speeches, swearings in, performances, and we have a new president. Something so simple was complexly orchestrated after a long, long process. And now, it bears repeating, we have a new president.

--J.S.

Confession, more thoughts

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word inauguration comes from a similar Latin word, meaning "consecration or instalment under good auspices or omens"--how appropriate given the love for Obama from so many.

I never watched the full inauguration before, and I only have vague memories of ever seeing the swearing in. There is a lot of pomp and circumstance. 

It's also interesting to see how many notables--both politicians and celebrities--have been sighted on the way to the ceremony. We've seen Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, and every politician you can think of from Dan Quayle to Joe Lieberman to Edward Kennedy to John McCain to Al Gore to John Kerry.

Update: Bush and Obama enter the limo together from the White House.  It's a black Cadillac (an American car) with two flags on each side of the hood. 

More to come. 

--J.S.

Initial Inauguration thoughts

I've been reading some grumbling at the expense of the inauguration, and that this would not be the reaction if John McCain had been elected. 

It's simple--Barack Obama is the first African-American president and a young energetic politician who inspires for a number of different reasons. The combination of those factors has made his inauguration much more significant than probably any other in history. There have been a lot of firsts, but none so significant since the inauguration of the first president, George Washington. 

Combine that with the sourness attached to the departing president and a deep economic crisis and you have the recipe for an exciting, even cathartic celebration.

--J.S.

When the Superhero needs a Superhero: Spiderman II

As we discussed earlier, Marvel is coming out with the Spiderman comic.  There are so many fascinating inaugural texts that demand the SemiObama lens, but this one seemed to need another take--especially given the header photo on our main page.

Released on January 14, the comic features a plot line sure to thrill both Obama and Spider-Man devotees. Peter Parker gets assigned to cover the inauguration but spots two identical Obamas. Savvy about these kinds of things, Parker determined that one of the Obamas must be an impostor.

How right he is!

Using basketball--I kid you not--to determine the real Obama, Spider-Man swoops in to save the day (and the president) (and the free world).

In an article from The Detroit Free Press, Steve Perri (not the lead singer for Journey) admits that this confluence of pop culture superstars transcends mere politics:

"' ...The significance of the comic outweighs whoever I voted for,' says Perri, an investment adviser who has about 1,600 Spider-Man comics. 'To have Spider-Man have such a pinnacle moment as meeting the president -- it's history.'"

History indeed.

There is even a fist-bump.

Stick that in your web E. D. Hill . . . .

--D.R.