The 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
** Update**
The Inaugural Speech Transcript:
SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you.
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.
Not that he had much left, but Ralph Nader committed career suicide on election night. We have watched this a half-dozen times and we're still shocked.
The Polls close here on the West Coast in 32 1/2 hours. I have a wonderful friend Winona who at 94 years old has seen incredible changes in her life time.
Two World Wars, women getting the vote, the stock market crash, the Great Depression, The New Deal (FDR made her a Democrat for life!), Korea, the Civil Rights Act passage, Kennedy's Assassination, Viet Nam, MLK's Assassination, man landing on and coming back from the moon, a President resign and a President impeached, etc!
This doesn't even take into account the technological changes such as computers, the internet, email, cell phones, jet travel, television, etc.
But, she is convinced the one thing she never thought she'd see is an African American being elected President.
We have a mail-in election. She's already voted. She voted for Obama. She is convinced he is going to win.
This is from a policy speech on disabilities by Republican VP Candidate, Sarah Palin:
"Where does a lot of that earmark money end up, anyway? [...] You've heard about, um, these -- some of these pet projects they really don't make a whole lot of sense, and sometimes these dollars they go to projects having little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not!"
Sarah's son, Track or Twig or Thug or something like that has autism. Fruit fly research lead to the discovery of proteins that aid in the treatment of autism in children.
The irony is staggering. Besides the 6000 year old earth crap, can one even comprehend the blow dealt to science with Palin in the White House? _________________________ The Dominator!
I think it's a hoot that we get to riddle the Republicans with the hypocrit meme after the Wrong Wing's attacks on John Edward's $400 haircut. I hope it sticks around and sickens what few Republicans with a conscience haven't made up their minds to jump this sinking ship.
But, personally, I don't have a problem with it. I'm a partisan... no question.
Here's the scenario - My nominee calls. He/she is just as big a flake as Palin's and everyone knows it is going to go down in flames. The nominee says, "Will you jump on board for the duration and help me ride this out? Maybe you and I can save a few Senate or House seats. OK?".
Knowing I'm not qualified to be President... knowing I'm up for some tough times with the criticism and the never-to-end distinction of being linked to this loser... I might pause and say, "Well, let's talk."
In that discussion, we're going to have to figure out what I'm going to get out of it besides the honor of forever being the answer to a trivia question.
I probably wouldn't ask for clothing... that's not true... I'd get a few nice suits out of the deal... but some really cool tools would be nice... maybe a High Def big screen...
So, Sarah took the RNC for 150K of clothes minus what is donated to charity (anyone notice the distinctive clarification: "the clothing purchased for the convention will be donated....". I wonder if that means all of it or just the 3 outfits she wore at the convention).
Good on her. For falling on her sword for the RNC, I'd say she deserves it.
This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
According to Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used, Gov. Palin was eating lunch with five or six people when the subject of the Democrat’s primary battle came up. The governor, seemingly not caring that people at nearby tables would likely hear her, uttered the slur and then laughed loudly as her meal mates joined in appreciatively.
“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole.
Then, almost with a sigh, she added, “But that’s just Alaska.”
