Yesterday (and Today): The Inaugural and the Day After

January 20, 2009 was a good day for America. Inauguration Day is always a good day, I think, no matter one's opinion of the President. I enjoy pomp and circumstance once in a while, and Americans do that best on the day of the Inaugural. The proceedings are fancy, formal and dignified, but done in democratically American way, with the center of attention being someone who is elected to the office, not a king or a queen.

And it is an especially good day when we have yet another peaceful transition of power. We've been doing that for over 200 years now. No other country can claim that kind of success. The United States really is a unique creature.

Our inauguration day is when we shine. America looks good, and it really looked good yesterday, with the bright sun beaming down on the festivities in Washington, DC, all the political types dressed up in their finery and the masses of people in front of the Capitol, the masses of ordinary Americans, waiting to see the new man (and it has, alas, always been a man) give his first speech as President.

And this new president is an indicator of where we are as a country. In case you hadn't heard, Barack Obama is the first black president, and he's got a name unlike any of the 43 white men that preceded him. The United States has come a long way in a short time, we are maturing, and, to a certain extent, we are just now fully living up to the promise of our Founding Fathers.

January 21, 2009 was a day when, briefly, every American could feel proud.

But that was yesterday. Today the honeymoon is over, Mr. President. You had a free pass for a day, now you enter the real world. Don't forget to duck when the shoes are thrown. Say what you will about George W. Bush, but he is quick and nimble.

As for Barack Obama's inaugural speech, it was alright. There was no one outstanding moment, no one line that will live on, like "...nothing to fear but fear itself," or "With malice toward none, with charity for all," but it was a good speech overall. Mostly, I think it was just...nice. It was particularly nice to see a thoughtful, intelligent president who could speak English clearly and use real words (don't misunderestimate the ability of presidents to be grammatically creative) to form sentences.

Like many of Obama's speeches, it was blandly inspirational. One could listen to it, and feel good about Obama, or the future of the country, but not really know why one feels good.

The most interesting section of the speech for me was when Obama was speaking about the US being in the midst of a crisis and how there has been a "collective failure to make hard choices and prepare for a new age." Superficially, one would think, a dig at the Bush administration. But it could also be a dig at the American people themselves who, like Bush, have long been spending money they don't have and taking out loans they can't afford to pay back.

Much of speech was a very subtle, fancifully dressed way of telling the American public that times are tough, they're going to be tough for a possibly a long time, and it they don't get fixed in four years, don't hold it against him, because he warned you things would be bad for awhile.

As I said, the honeymoon is over. Obama isn't running for anything anymore, he has to lead and attempt to play nice with others. Like both Bushes before him, and Clinton, Obama may turn out to be a guy who can get elected, he just doesn't know what to do once he has the job.