Reflecting on the Inauguration

I think it finally hit me. George W. Bush is no longer president. Really! The eight year fiasco pretending to be the executive branch of our government is actually over. Although we may not know the extent of the damage that his administration has done for some time, he can do no more harm to us.

Last year, the paranoid part of my brain envisioned W and Cheney scheming to hold on to power through some pseudo national emergency.
But as the year wore on and the economy went from sour to rancid that seemed less and less likely.In fact, it really seemed as if there was no one in the White House at all. All the action was either on the campaign trail or in Congress. W was mute and reclusive. The bright, shiny toy that he inherited in 2001 was now dull, tarnished, rusty and broken. It no longer amused him and thus he no longer wanted any part of it. While the country finally came to the realization that the economic doomsayers were right and everything collapsed in ruin, he couldn't be bothered to lead. Instead, the Decider delegated the responsibility to his minions while he spent the time counting down the days until he could return to Texas to tackle some pesky brush.

Dash does an excellent job with a final parting shot at W's administration.

* * *
Yesterday, I watched the inauguration with my cynicism tucked away in a closet. I was lucky to find an HD channel with no running commentary. It was a bit like being there.
Listening to Obama's speech, I couldn't help but get caught up in the moment. Here is a president who actually talks to us like adults. Hell, he insists that we "set aside childish things." No smirking or swaggering when he thinks he's got the upper hand. No stammering or word invention when he can't answer a question. I'd forgotten what it was like to have someone intelligent in the White House.

The President has the unique opportunity to set the tone for the political discourse in this country (Just look at the last 8 years). Obama's speech, if it rings true, offers us the chance to get it out of the gutter. Fact based policy, instead of faith based, would be a tremendous change. Abandoning the Orwellian doublespeak that has been spewing out of Washington for so long would be refreshing.

David Brin was pleased with what he heard too. In particular....

"We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age."

Yes, yes. Education, sustainability, health, plus the new technologies that may not only help save the nation and planet, but also kick-start the next economic boom, in much the same way that our government's internet research sparked the last one... all of that was profoundly welcome, and expected. But to put science first, ahead of all the others, and thus signaling it's "rightful place," struck me deeply. This is one lawyer who knows that good decisions cannot be based upon incantations, but must ultimately depend on actual, honest-to-God facts.

And that's something we haven't had for so long. It's enough to give me, dare I say it, hope. Maybe Obama can steer this ship of state away from the shoals of insolvency, clear past the jagged rocks of America's Imperialist foreign policy and far from the whirlpool of environmental degradation.

Now, I'm under no illusion that Obama can solve all of our problems. I'm sure that he'll set policies that I'll strongly disagree with. So many people have such high expectations that he'll address their #1 issue the way they want him too right away that Obama will certainly let them down. But after one of the worst presidents, if not the worst, in American history, Obama has a chance to steer the country back in the direction it was designed to be: a republic. Or, he can use some of W's special executive powers to become nothing more than a benevolent dictator. Time will tell, but for these first few days I'm just going to be glad that we have a real president again.


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DED