End of the night: Some of our favorite pictures from today…
More photos, videos, news, songs, observations and historical documentation throughout the day follows below, newest to oldest…
9:00pm PT: Cuz someone had to say it. That man’s got a lotta balls…
1:32pm PT: Rock star…
12:13pm PT: MSNBC has details on Kennedy and Byrd. [UPDATE: Kennedy now “feeling well”, Byrd’s office denies illness. Details…]
12:04pm PT: ALSO BREAKING – CNN Reports Sen. Byrd has also collapsed during the Inaugural luncheon.
11:55am PT: BREAKING – CNN Reports: “Sen. Edward Kennedy has collapsed at a luncheon honoring President Obama. Paramedics have responded to the scene.”
11:31am PT: It’s really official. The new White House website…
…And yes, they now have a blog…
10:27am PT: Bush is over. Happy Springtime. Sing it loud (6:00)…
10:09am PT: Good riddance…
9:30am PT: The President of the United States…
8:57am PT: Free at last. Crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL today. In peace…
8:55am PT: Legitimate. America finally has a legitimately elected Vice President again…
8:49am PT: “43” says goodbye…
8:40am PT: Compare and contrast. 8 years ago today, Bush Inaugural limo pelted with eggs (1:02)…
8:32am PT: Freudian? If we just heard that correctly, the announcer on the stand just introduced “Mr. Pelosi and Mrs. Reid”.
8:30am PT: Of the people…
Satellite shot, as seen from space…
8:26am PT: EXCLUSIVE! Dick Cheney finishes up last minute business, before rolling out to the Inauguration ceremony…
Whoops! Our mistake. This is actually Mr. Potter Cheney today…
8:20am PT: Long time coming. BRAD BLOG commenter “Floridiot” suggests we watch this (3:13)…
Good morning: My god, it seemed today would never come. But it has. Even if we count the minutes until Noon ET.
So let’s start it off with a really really difficult poll question:
{democracy:11}
I’ll be watching along with you, marveling at the final(?) irony of Dick Cheney attending the Inaugural in a wheelchair, reportedly, and still alive, reportedly, and beyond that, I welcome your thoughts, today in particular, in comments…
I dare you to watch this and tell me you didn’t tear up.
On CNN I caught the back of “The Beast” waiting outside
My vote is for Obama coming.
After all Bush had to go anyway but he could have been replaced by McPalin !!!
Keith hit it out again Link
Waiting. Listening.
10:44 AM and I just watched the AP coverage of the Obamination. They did a piece on the Bush Doctrine that made me sick – the MSM continues to white wash the Bush adm role in 9/11. It’s ridiculous how the MSM refuses to say that 9/11 could not have happened without a US military stand down. In addition, after the first hit – all the WTC buildings should have had a federal order to evacuate – as well as the Pentagon when it was apparent it was in danger. So, much for news on this important day. Good luck Obama dealing with DC.
I am a wheelchair user with spinal damage, and the back of my wheelchair is far more padded, molded in the general shape of my back, and looks NOTHING like the chair they just showed Cheney in.
I am guessing that it has more to do with lung/heart(less) issues and the cold.
[ed note: Sorry, Betsy, our spam filter is acting up, and I think Brad doesn’t know how to bail people out of the clink. –99]
I’m watching BHO and Smirky in the limo together, pass all the crowds showing the love for Obama. What a stark contrast to the reception W got after he was appointed. I almost feel sorry for W. Except that he’s a complete loser and traitor and should be in Gitmo, so I don’t feel that bad for him.
Hey Flo, I was wondering how many shoes were thrown at the tv when idiotboy walked by? 🙂
Merry Christmas Emporium
Merry Christmas National Mall
Merry Christmas Lincoln Memorial
Merry Christmas Obama Nation
Why is that awful Dianne Feinstein officiating? Is that part of Obama’s “bipartisanship?”
Congratulations, everybody – it’s finally here!
The page has turned – it’s truly “the end of an error”
*raising my coffee mug in toast, ‘cuz I’m saving the champagne for tonight so hubby and son can celebrate with me*
Ancient, I didn’t want to wreck my TV before O was sworn in so I dint throw any shoes 😉
I tell ya, if that little boy in the video right at the end didn’t tare u up, you ain’t human man.
Happy New Day!
I think I’m most relieved because the football is out of that idiots hands now.
Like a big weight lifted.
Who’s for a chorus of “Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead”?
Check this out
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
lol, that wasn’t there a second ago on yer post, like minds think a like
A really looooong nightmare is over!
Waited. Listened. Frackin’ net was jammed up upstream of me 😉
He’z in ur White Hous3 controllin’ ur country lol
my favorite parts were the delightful benediction & after The President took his hand off the bible his youngest asked, “Are you president now Daddy?”
what a great day!!
The first lie of the Obama website:
From this page: http://www.whitehouse.gov/brief...cutive_orders/
“The President has not yet issued any Executive Orders.”
The truth is actually…
“The President has just signed a series of Executive Orders as his first act as President. These will be posted shortly.”
As a webmaster, I know how hard it is to stay current, but if I had the budget that whitehouse.gov has, I would do a better job.
Hey, Our New President Obama and the First Lady Michele are wearing Steeler colors Black and Gold. What a good sign for a sport fan like me! But seriously, that inaugural speech is worth watching again and again and again! It feels like the USA is our country again!!
The radio was crackling while I was driving and Roberts was bungling the oath. Did Obummer take the whole oath or not? Did he did or did he didn’t???? I heard Biden’s perfectly and it was just right, but 44’s was a jumble?
And I didn’t hear him asking for anyone to be arrested either, goddammittall….
99, presidents dont arrest peoples,attorney generals arrest peoples…give the new pres a day or 2(he has to find the nsa watchers in the basement first ya know)
bushco must pay for their crimes i agree but as cynical as i am,pres obama out smarted the neo cons in the election,i am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he can out smart them again……call the wh switchboard and let them know we expect the criminal actions of the past admin investigated and punished,it might make ya feel better! and for the first time in years,we have a pres that might listen!!!
here is the funny (odd) part,wether pres obama is for real or just another place holder,democracy won….we the american peoples got who we wanted,who we voted for….there is some evidence they shaded the numbers but they could not shade it enough to change the outcome…this is in large part to bradblog,velvet revolution,dennis k requesting nh”s recount,the math geeks at bbv,in other words a lot of lil folks working together
GOD BLESS AMERICA
He promised to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, but there was nothing about against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Is that right? Is that how it’s SUPPOSED to go? That fucking well implies to me that the President gets to decide what the Constitution is, what constitutes preservation of it and protection and defense of it.
That’s what that fuckhead * kept blathering that he was doing, when he so very clearly was NOT. I don’t think I’ve ever listened so carefully before, but I think there is something wrong with this.
Settle down, 99, ya spaz 😉
Roberts screwed up the oath. Though Obama became Prez at noon no matter what (sez CNN, and the Constitution, I think).
RAW STORY has the story on the screwed up oath here.
Okay. I’m settled down now. I went and listened to some older oaths of office and it was essentially the same, just with Roberts’ screw up.
You can’t blame me for being paranoid!!!!!
I can’t take any more of this Constitution as toilet paper stuff.
And here’s the video of that oath…
Got all the words in. Just not in particularly the correct order 🙂
No. Biden took the whole oath, and Obama took an abbreviated one, but I went back to YouTubes of * and Ford and it was the same. They leave off “against all enemies, foreign and domestic” on the Presidential oath. I never paid this close attention before and I freaked when I didn’t hear that part. I always thought all military and all government officials had to take the WHOLE oath, but it seems they leave that clause off on presidents.
WE SHOULD SEND ME TO DC TO MAKE HIM TAKE THE WHOLE OATH… JUST IN CASE.
I’m going to be ON his case! 😛
Finally we have a black man in office that can help jews kill Arab children. What a historical day for all the washed up hippies and that would rather be happy and live in a delusion then face up to the inconvenient truth.
And it’s so sad to see Brad so obviously on the payroll now too.
Biden took a standard “elected official” oath.
Obama took the oath dictated word for word in the Constitution, though the words did get scrambled a bit.
I probably wouldn’t have freaked except I was driving to the doctor’s office as he was taking his oath and the radio reception fuzzed out right after the Roberts screw-up, and I thought I’d missed something or Roberts was playing around with the oath. I kept wondering and flipping stations for a replay, and then finally got to a computer to check it on YouTube, and it didn’t have that one part everyone else swears to… so I was seized with an attack of paranoia that lasted about a half an hour.
I think they actually should have thrown in a bunch of other words just to be perfectly safe, but, well, the last eight years have shot my nerves.
[ed note: Appalling, inappropriate and likely illegal comment removed. –BF]
wow, GOS #31. that was a mouthful- both historical & inconvenient have 4 syllables. hmmm. 😉
& Agent 99- don’t be so hard on yourself. i know fundamentalists who believe in full submersion for baptism to be true. once, when a girl’s very long hair floated on top of the font’s water, those people demanded a 2nd baptism for the sake of ________? (fill in the blank)
some will say the “spirit of the law” was spoken, but was not said. we all know how hard it is to prosecute even when those words were spoken…
pardon moi, por favor.
#31, read this. O might not be with the hard liners after all.
Flo, I heard him clarify that outrageous remark in his AIPAC speech, and I believe him, that he meant that Jerusalem shouldn’t be divided by walls or wire, but I think the body of his speech was reason enough to fear too much support for war criminals, and the rest of the candidates’ speeches at that same conference were as bad or worse. We really need to make AIPAC support count AGAINST candidates. There are Jewish American organizations for peace and humanity whose support should be vied for, and whose support should be reason to trust candidates they endorse… just, seriously, not AIPAC anymore.
Floridiot:
That DID make me cry, but I used to cry during “The Waltons” too; that may disqualify me.
O wouldn’t have been elected if he would have took any other stance 99. The (AIPAC controlled) media would have UFOed him in a heartbeat.
It’s called a head fake in b-ball.
Let’s give him a couple of minutes, he’s got a fine line to walk.
In the meantime, have a yuk.
I know, I know, but that has to change… because it isn’t just before they get elected that they have to say/do that stuff. Our whole congress just full-throatedly endorsed Israel in their latest crimes against humanity spree, and there is only ONE explanation for that… and it ain’t that they actually endorse it.
We’re beating our brains out to make a better world and these fuckers set us back decades of blood, sweat and tears when they do that shit.
It’s gotta stop.
Karen @ #25, I sssoooooooooo totally agree, Brad et al THANK YOU!
99, yes WE must keep feet to the fire… an I think the heat is on! But, he’s asking us to do just that. Peacefully turned on!!!!!
Gos @ #31 said:
Darn it, Gos. Now you’ve done it! And those paychecks were just rolling in until you outed me! Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted. Shoulda known I could never fool someone as clever as yourself. 🙁
Good lord, how emptyheaded could an article be.
I won’t be happy til Obama is sent to Siberia so I could not answer your poll question.
He’s just handed our country over to the communist foreigners and world bankers and he will be a great puppet for them.
People were happy when Hitler took over too. It was sorta the same deal — they pledged to do what he told them, even though they had no idea what that would be.
How vapid. How stupid. MORONS!
#43, take two aspirin (as long as your not allergic to aspirin) and “sleep in” tomorrow morning.
You’ll feel better, although you might not be happy. If it’s any relief, a lot of us haven’t been happy the past eight years. I won’t bore you with the litany of issues.
Your turn to be unhappy. (your words not mine)
My advice:
Be sure to eat right and try to keep up your physical health. Sometimes it will be all you seem to have left.
Hang in there.
Today was a historic day.
Still playing catch-up on the day’s astounding events after working all day; loving this thread tonight for all it’s wonderful density of link-y fun and perfectly fabulous info-snacks.
Flo–cried like a baby watching that little boy. That moment, when the enormity of what he’s saying hits him–sure is somethin’ to behold.
Something, yes indeed. Amazing Something to just wake up one day and see my country again, the country I love, right outside my window and not the twisted bizarro-world of polar dimensions and murderous rhetoric it had become. Something Stunning to see a beautiful African American family move into a house built by slaves, passing as parade before the ghostly, grateful shoulders of the Greats who came before.
And most odd, Something of a Surprise: I am not the hardened cynic I always thought I was. Never one by virtue of my nature (which, as you well know, is 100% Tropicana sun-squeezed-pure), but by virtue of my demographic; by timing of a Watergate birth and unhappy declines in the average attention span of the masses…
So many impossibly painful years accumulated, so many abuses and atrocities committed and for so goddamn long, I needed pinching. I had to keep reminding myself all day that the chains n’ shackles had come off the Nation at noon. (I still feel them like knawing, phantom lazer cages, and maybe will continue to for several days or weeks, or however long it takes to recover from a two-term fist raping without health insurance…
Bush is gone. He’s done. The moment made all the sweeter by his uncharacteristic, “Debbie Downer” demeanor, his uber-gloomy mug splashed all over the televisions and internets, today. (He looked really uncomfortable being “integrated” didn’t he, tho? Man! After every crime and murder that shit has committed in eight years, THIS–this TODAY–is the first time I’ve ever seen his sad clown. “Awww….what’s the matter little toad-exploding psychopath within?”)
Karen in Illinois ~ ‘Here, here’ to all of what you say, but a special shout-out to the math geeks, my heroes, who have been extra saddled these last horrid 8 years with the tremendous burden of proof, LITERALLY, and worked tenaciously with grit trying to get the rest of the world to learn basic addition and subtraction.
As if anything could stand in more contrast to the last eight years, it is the whitehouse.gov blog. Brad, Flo–it is blowing my mind and making me completely teary-eyed moist. Thanks for the link. I’m hooked.
First blog was posted at 12:01 pm EST today. (Now THAT’s precision tech!) You can sign up for regular email updates, research local and state gov resources, contact the staff, AND: President Obama is going to release a web video to the site every Saturday.
And no buildings fell.
And no blood was shed.
And Cheney’s in a wheelchair.
And Bush is all cranky BACK IN TEXAS.
It’s been a dreamy week.
Now, if we can get a special prosecutor who will prosecute these mo fo’s–THAT’S when I’ll buy the 10,000 dollar ball-gown.
Too bad all republicans aren’t as smart as Mr Rooney!
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/...ey-cover_N.htm
It’s morning in America. Somehow, it seems the sunis shining brighter today.
I kept my 7 yr old boy out of school to hear the inaugural address. He was entranced.
MLKing, in the last speech before someone put a bullet in his head, said: “I have been to the mountain top and I have seen the promised land.”
When, in his benediction, Rev. Lowery said, “Now that we have come down from the mountain top…” and when I realized what I had heard, I burst into tears. My boy thinks I am a silly old man. But I am so happy for the prospects for his future.
I am so proud of our country.
Lol, at least #43 spelled Moran right.
Brad, what a strange collection of comments. The regulars are happy and pleased, but where do these nut cases that project on to Obama what Bush actually did. Is there some Dittohead site sending the nutters to you?
Unfortunately, there are a wrongs that will continue with election fraud. I looked for the Mark Crispin Miller interview on Democracy Now from 12/22/08 (it starts at the 33 minute mark) and did not find it on The Brad Blog. As always, Miller is clear and precise. I doubt that you missed it, but I would appreciate it being featured. It is well worth watching and sending on to others. I hope Obama’s people are listening.
Happy New Year and New Administration
72Dawg said:
I’d say they’re called “trolls” for a reason. Not just because they live under bridges, but also because they go trolling around the net, looking for places to leave their hate. As our commenting policy is more open than most, occasionally they tend to find us a nice place to spew.
But no, having checked the inbound hit counter, I don’t see any wingnut sites linking up more than usual today.
While I knew he was appearing that day, I didn’t get the chance to watch it (was on the road at the time, trying to limit my time online). Will try to check it out. Thanks for the link, Dawg.
I voted for Ron Paul although I liked Obama the most of the 3 candidates fed to us by corporate america (Obama, Hillary, and McCain).
My crystal ball tells me this:
Obama will do his best to change america’s spirit. In my opinion that is the biggest positive role he will play in the next 4-8 years.
However, he will not pursue war crimes or other crimes against the bush admin. He will find some compromise on the healthcare issue which is slightly better for the people, but at least as good if not better for corporations and insurance companies.
He will not change election integrity issues, and he will not crack down on corporations being ‘too big to fail’.
He will get us out of Iraq over the next 3 years, but we will become long-term entrenched in Afghanistan with no end in sight. I cannot read what will happen to Pakistan, but I do know that Pakistan is the key to solving Afghanistan.
He will continue to support Israel strongly, however he will support the establishment of a palestinian state and work towards negotiating a deal in that regard, which will fail, because of the retarded psychology of that part of the world.
Even if his presidency winds up just being ‘bleh’ he will be 100x better for america than bush was. I guess thats reason enough to be happy, but Obama is not the second coming of Christ and will not cure all of the wrongs of the world. Come to think of it, Christ wasn’t even close to accomplishing that either.
My father marched in Selma with MLK and Fanny Lou Hammer. His world was transformed by his experiences in the nation’s south. Yesterday as Barack Obama was being sworn in my Dad began to lose his battle with cancer. We were watching two clocks simultaenously. One clock was ticking off my Dad’s last moments on earth. Another one was ticking off Bush’s last moments in the White House. Like others we were feeling a lot of happiness about Bush’s going, mixed with grief, first about the damage done to so many people and the planet, then, more personally, about losing our Dad.
Shortly after the swearing in ceremony my step mother Marge leaned in close and told him “Bush is gone Dave’. He nodded and a hint of a smile crossed his face. He couldn’t speak any longer except to affirm a yes or no to some kind of comfort offer with a squeeze of a hand. But we knew he felt something important at that instant of knowing that Bush was back in Texas and not about to hurt anyone anymore with a bomb or a veto or a signing statement.
Dad, David Truskoff, was not thrilled will all of Obama’s policies. He expressed worry about whether or not Obama or others in his administration would rein in AIPAC and correct US foreign and military policy.
But he knew all too well what this election meant, an end to the fire hose mentality that continues to mean African Americans get the death penalty, whites get life or even less of a sentence, for a similar crime.
Dad was able to experience the relief that rippled around the world as people let it sink in that Mr. Axis of Evil, Mr. “I’m a War President” was gone.
D
Agent 99, This is the lawful oath all Civil Servants take:
TITLE 5 > PART III > Subpart B > CHAPTER 33 > SUBCHAPTER II > § 3331Prev | Next § 3331. Oath of office
An individual, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services, shall take the following oath: “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” This section does not affect other oaths required by law.
When I joined the Civil Service I had to take this oath. Standing by the side of a desk. Out loud. One hand over my heart and the other held up to God. Serious, gives-you-pause type stuff. And I had to sign a form that said I was given and took the oath. VERY serious stuff.
The Prez has a different oath and botched or not he’s still the Prez. We’re safe. The crazy/evil people (at the top anyway) are gone.
It was a great day for America.
I was too emotional to comment yesterday, still am, just a little technical post to demonstrate solidarity until my head clears.
(And from Lottakatz to) zapkitty (said on 1/20/2009 @ 12:07 pm PT…)
“He’z in ur White Hous3 controllin’ ur country lol”
Democracy: we’re doin’ it right. lol 😉
(I think we have more than one website in common?)
And regarding the Trolls: OK, the good guys (you know, the SANE people) won so let’s be kind to them for a minute or so. How about sending them a big, fraternal, soul-crushed group whine in 3…. 2…. 1….
Let’s make it a good one ’cause it’s gonna’ have to last ’em 8 years 😉
Thanks Lotta. My parents’ tv is blasting in the other room and they are reporting that Roberts came to the White House to redo the oath today… just so there can’t be any mistaking it. He went slowly and got it right this time.
But I was in some kind of “spazzy” snit over it for a little bit yesterday. Kind of hard to keep up with all of it while driving from the far reaches of radio transmission, but that was what I was stuck with.
I was upset too. I knew he screwed it up as he did it and it just made me nuts for awhile. Srsly, there are few historic landmarks in ones life- things that will linger for the duration of our history and I’ve seen 3, Kennedy’s assassination, the moon walk and the first African-American President. And that idiot screws it up. F*%K!
Like I’m an old fart but I look around at Congress and the Supremes and I have to admit, many if not most of these guys are just too f#&*#@g old. I think senility is setting in with way too many of them. I’m becoming an ageist. I’m hoping though to see a woman elected Prez so I’ll be able to say I saw 4 truly historic events.
We are desolate without our great voice for peace and justice, our Dad. I was wrong above about Selma, that pic was Mississippi, but we’re a bit rattled as we put together the photos we will share with others who loved him this Sat. and must say goodbye now.
We came across a promotional one of him with Dizzy Gillespie. He was so young when that was taken! Dad worked as a reporter, was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, and was a jazz DJ prior to his time as an AFSC office director in Hartford, Connecticut. He ran a draft counseling office during the Vietnam War, and spent his life writing and organizing for peace and various causes for the environment and justice. We had many talks, absorbing strange and sad headlines and watching how fewer and fewer people controlled the press. It was painful to understand how truth was being crushed by the money driven media kingpins. We could only try to get our voices through the haze of disinformation and self serving reporting on one politician after another, one corrupt business person wrecking havoc on our lives and our national interests with impunity.
Dad’s answer to then was to read everything he could find from foreign media and independent media over long years before the internet, and then after the internet, and keep on reacting with OPED pieces and hard hitting books and articles.
How ironic it is that the newspaper that will publish his obituary, wrote a personal profile about him, would not publish his OPEDs mentioning Israel’s crimes against Palestinians and journalists.
I hope with all my heart that Americans can take the energy of the Obama inauguration and use it to face hard truths about America, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and other parts of the world where greed and the quest for oil has broken millions of hearts and minds and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
We don’t need CBS or NBC or ABC or PAX to guide us emotionally though our days and nights, and that is what the networks owners want to do..they would use our every emotion like a prop to brand us and co opt us into accepting their fake news.
I’m glad my father encouraged me to keep at it with community radio, and I’m grateful for his strong voice in OPED pieces, those published and those not published.
Together we can shut down all of the wars from Afghanistan and Iraq to Gaza to Sudan and Darfur, pushing open the doors blocking our way to the truth about what we need to live. Love not hate. Peace not war. We can work together, cooperate, find ways through global warming, demand restoration of the US Constitution and our rights under international and humanitarian law… achieve so much.
I found this and watched it with gratitude. Yes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
D