Reaction to the coming of Obama, slightly late.

I know everyone else on the blogosphere is commenting on “Where they were when . . .” so I figure I might as well join in the fun.

I was in my apartment in northern Japan watching Barack Obama become the 44th president of the United States on the Internet thanks to the live feed provided by MSNBC. While watching, I was on Skype with my parents and grandmother in California. So my family got to watch the inauguration together, even though I’m more than five thousand miles away. Isn’t technology great?

Incidentally, extra thanks to the people at MSNBC for not only providing a live feed, but providing it to everyone. Several other sources including CNN only allowed US IP addresses to view their live video of the ceremony. It’s as if they assume that there aren’t any Americans living overseas or that no one from another country would want to use their service. I’d expect such blindness from Fox News, but CNN? Seriously guys, you used to be good.

But it’s not all glowing reviews for MSNBC and their political team. Mr. Chris Matthews showed the same deficiency that I’ve seen in sports announcers for years. He clearly has no idea when to shut the hell up. This works for his Hardball program, where he has to occasionally shout at, and demand a straight answer from, people who are just giving their talking points. However, it just doesn’t work for live commentary.

When various officials and VIPs were being announced, I could not hear it over Matthews. Thank God for Rachel Maddow. In addition to knowing when to stay quiet, there were several times when she shushed Matthews and even told Olbermann to pipe down once or twice. At least someone got the message that some of us might want to watch the ceremony instead of listening to the play by play.

The actual ceremony itself was amazing. And that was an understatement right up there with “Huston, we have a problem.” I don’t have the words to describe it without using the same analogies and metaphors that others (including people who were actually there) have used. The Japanese papers have referred to the event as “Ningen kai”(人間海) or The Sea of Humans. An apt description if ever there was one. Add to that the fact that these people were willing to stand out there it what was reportedly 10 degree weather and you see just how important this event was to the people of the nation.

This begs the question, why on earth did the founding fathers decide on January 20th? I get the idea of “new year new president.” But as the entire delegation from each of the New England states should have pointed out at the start that, in winter in that part of the world, it is freezing fu#&”ng cold. It makes me wonder if the inauguration was ever intended to be a mass outdoor gathering complete with parade and 1,847 balls to attend. (Also, can we drop the sophomoric humor around the words inaugural balls next time? Thanks!) When did we let things get so out of control?

Now for the story that everyone on the right is talking about:
THE GREAT FLUB.

Yes, Obama and Roberts both messed up the oath. Roberts said it incorrectly (transposing the word “faithfully”) and that caused Obama to hesitate and to repeat what the Chief Justice said. So yes, Barack Obama did not say the oath required by the constitution.

As soon as the words left his lips, the far right (Limbaugh, Bill-o the Clown, etc.) started screaming that Obama was NOT the president and that nobody had to listen to him. You have got to be kidding (Yes, I am going to work that line into all of these posts. I’m trying to create a brand here).

OK, ignoring the fact that there was this election thing a few weeks back (and to be fair most of Fox Noise has forgotten that day due to the heavy drinking that must have occurred shortly afterward) and said election made Obama the President of the United States effective as of noon on 2009/1/20 to say it in Japanese terms. The oath is technically little more that a symbolic gesture, highly symbolic, but still symbolic.

This is all a moot point because Obama, being a former constitutional law professor decided to swear the oath again and got it right this time. For the record, the following Presidents have sworn the oath more than once per term (in reverse chronological order)

Barack Obama
Ronald Regan (2nd term)
Lyndon B. Johnson (the first time was after the Kennedy assassination)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Woodrow Wilson (2nd term)
Chester A. Arthur
Rutherford B. Hayes

Most of these were a case of doing it once in private and once for the public. So how is what President Obama did any different? Not counting that he did the public one first and that he screwed one of them up.

Then the idiocy really cranks it up to 11. People are complaining about President Obama not using a Bible for the second swearing. A message to those people who worry about this: Please show me where in the constitution a bible is stated as a requirement? That’s right, you can’t! There is nothing that says the President has to have his or her hand on a Bible. In fact, legend has it that George Washington had to be talked into using a Bible. He wanted to use the Book of Free Masonry. Legally speaking, the President can be sworn in with his hand on the latest issue of Spider-man or a stack of Playboys. I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath waiting for that to happen, but it’s perfectly legal.

So a last message to the radical right: Our guy won and he didn’t even have to cheat to do it. GET OVER IT!!!

So that’s the mandatory Obama reaction post. Until next time, I’m RyuSensei and I’m not kidding.