I've already made the mistake of not taking inauguration speeches seriously, and being a creature of habit, this year is no exception even after three decades of me making that same mistake. Not only that, instead of breaking the habit, I've gone and been influenced by other commentary. Not much, but enough to fill in first impressions just enough to be rather callow. That said, I don't feel altogether dismissive enough to let Obama's speech go without comment, but I'll file it under Obligatory Seriousness.
Firstly, there are two ways to deal with the Obama Phenomenon, and yet again I am being consistent. One way is to take in the entire scene, and the other is to read the text. I read the text, period. It is the same thing I did for the Saddleback interview and for the second and final debates. Although on the second, I also watched. That was a mistake as well. Thus I have very little to say about what I've heard about the secondary events - the cheesy poetry, Justice Roberts' hideous gaffe, or Aretha Franklin's re-writing of our American version of 'God Save the King'. But I will say that there's something very unsettling about the passive voice repeating 'Let freedom ring' when the proper lyric is 'Great God our King' after 'Protect us by thy might'.
Ironically, 'God Save the King' is everything that's on my mind at this moment so many Americans I find worthy of second-guessing if not mockery have suddenly found it in their hearts and minds to acknowledge what a great country this is, today. I wish there was some way I could make instant movies that could morph - Micheal Jackson's Black or White video-style, colored faces cheering jubilantly about Obama into white powdered faces trumpeting the greatness of the British Empire, my old bean. Of course there's nothing wrong with chauvinistic patriotic blather, it ought to be encouraged. I just wonder if any of these blokes recognize how they sound to my ears. Not that I'd rain on anyone's parade in person today. I save my reflections for the page.
The speech was good. Almost very good, but lacking in a theme. It was very full of bullet points and metaphors that only lasted one sentence or two. There is very little in the speech not to like and I think it represents the evolved pragmatism that the once effusive Obama would probably not have given. This is not the Obama who won Iowa. This is the smart, tough guy who is aiming to be the smart, tough President, and it's about time.
Today, Bank of America lost 29% of its value. The incredible process that led up to that fact surprises and worries me a lot. Today, the 44th President of the United States of America was sworn into office. The ordinary process that led up to that fact doesn't worry, nor surprise me a bit. I know that one process has nothing to do with the other, and yet the political process must now begin to direct and correct the economic process. That is not an occasion for balloons and bunting, but one for prayer. God Save the King.
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