I woke up today and Obama was still president! It's not a dream! I can keep grinning. Instead of "Hello," I find myself saying, "Yes we can!" to everyone I meet.
Could a movie still be any more romantic and thrilling than this shot?
I was just a baby when JFK was killed, but the Obamas fulfill my Camelot fantasies and then some. I am positively starstruck by the whole family.
There were a million things I wanted to say about the inauguration yesterday, but it's all been said many times already, so I'll just leave it be. (A good place to start would be this NYT editorial.) It was such a magical day for me—even as a spectator, I felt like a participant.
I watched the inauguration physically alone but virtually in a throng of Twitter friends. We had fun likening the wheelchair-bound Dick Cheney to Mr. Potter, trying to figure out exactly what color Michelle's suit was, cooing over Malia and Sasha, getting a kick out of Aretha's hat (I beg you to follow that link), and shrieking with delight at the stroke of noon. I started crying early on, as soon as the Carters walked out the door—something about those slow, solemn salutes from the military guys (Marines?) got to me—and I never stopped till it was all over. And I did literally leap from my chair clapping and cheering at "Congratulations, Mr. President!" [For those of you who listened to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" today, it was suggested that Obama re-take his presidential oath, even though it was John Roberts' fault for flubbing it up. It was deemed awfully "precocious" for Roberts to try to administer such an important oath from memory instead of reading it, as most (perhaps all?) have done in the past. And, not for nothing, but it was obvious that Obama had indeed memorized it, because he paused—still gracious as ever—when Roberts effed up.]
There's no question that it's a hard road ahead for President Obama, but I feel certain we're in good hands. No bill or law could ever hope to create or replicate the enthusiasm and cooperative spirit and goodwill he has fostered in this country; may all our optimism turn out to be well-founded. In the meantime, let's all just bask in the glow of this historic and proud moment.
The Aretha's Hat link made my day.
Posted by: Nancy Friedman | January 21, 2009 at 06:03 PM
They look like a couple on the top of a wedding cake in that photo! We haven't had such a photogenic first couple since the Kennedys, I guess. Their dancing last night was very romantic!
Posted by: Elena | January 21, 2009 at 07:47 PM
Didn't you love how Michelle kept yanking the train of her dress out from under the President's feet? They are unusual in that the have both the Camelot quality, but also seem very real.
Posted by: kate | January 21, 2009 at 08:05 PM
What an amazing week this has been. The other night, I was driving home from work and listening to NPR. And when Robert Segal said "President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton", it was still such a shock I nearly swerved the car.
Posted by: pam | January 24, 2009 at 11:23 PM