News as it comes in
Adrian Hieatt's Inauguration Blog:
(175 views)It's being widely reported that Obama made a mistake in his oath of office, that he stumbled on probably the most important few sentences he has ever uttered.
But I'm not so sure. Here's the transcript:
Chief Justice John Roberts: "I, Barack Hussein Obama,"
Obama: "I, Barack..."
Chief Justice John Roberts (interrupting Obama): "...do solemnly swear."
Obama: "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear"
Roberts: "That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully...
Obama: "...that I will execute..."
Roberts: "faithfully execute the office of president of the United States..."
Obama: "The office of president of the United States faithfully..."
After that, things went smoothly.
To me, this seems like Roberts was the one who got it wrong. But it will go down as an interesting footnote in history: that one of the most eloquent leaders the USA has ever had tripped over his own oath of office, in front of nearly two million people.
(84 views)Temperatures didn't rise above freezing all day for the members of the public who gathered in the national mall to catch a glimpse of Barack Obama on Tuesday - many of the people who were there arrived at 4 or 5am, and didn't leave for about ten hours. Hundreds of people have now been treated for hypothermia in Washington, including, reportedly, a school marching band whose uniforms weren't quite enough to protect them against the cold! Of course this is a very serious matter, but it is testament to Obama's magnetic ability to transfix people that so many stuck it out to the bitter end, young and old alike. And when all's said and done, and those affected are telling the story of the inauguration to their grandchildren, they'll surely forget what the weather was like that day, and only remember Obama's words. Probably.
(106 views)
Crowds for the celebrations in Washington are expected to far exceed the record 1.5 million people who turned up for Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration in 1965 – estimates put Tuesday’s number at between 2 million and a pretty startling 4 million people.
Tickets for the swearing in have been kept in a top-secret secure location, and it is a federal offence to counterfeit them.
Before their sale was banned on eBay, it’s thought that some tickets changed hands for up to $40,000 – one man even offered to swap his super bowl tickets for a few passes.
However, for anyone who doesn’t have a ticket, there is public standing room in the national mall – where crowds will be able to watch the action on huge ‘jumbotron’ TV screens as far as 2 miles from the centre of the action.
Anyone who wants to use the subway is being warned to expect ‘sardine like’ conditions – and to be ready for the possibility of waiting hours. Mobile phones probably won’t work either.
Hotels have been booked up for months – and to try and ease the overcrowding situation, the DC government has changed the rules that normally wouldn’t let residents rent out rooms in their private homes.
However, for people who are in Washington and aren’t able to make it out of the downtown area after the inauguration, there is hope. As well as the numerous official and unofficial balls that night, the city’s relaxed its licensing laws this week - nightclubs and bars are being allowed to stay open 24 hours a day.
(97 views)Tuesday’s event is being designated a ‘National Special Security Event’ – which means that officials are sparing no resource, or expense, in keeping Barack Obama, his family, and the millions of people watching, as safe as they can possibly be.
A monumental operation has been in place since the end of last week, with traffic exclusion zones and a very visible armed presence at every street corner in Washington.
On Tuesday itself, eight thousand police officers, ten thousand National Guard troops and seven thousand active duty soldiers will be patrolling the city, along with hundreds of sniffer dogs, hidden surveillance cameras, on-call SWAT teams, and the very best counter snipers America has to offer.
Police, secret service and military helicopters have already been patrolling the skies – and for the main event they’ll be joined by a squadron of fighter jets. A variety of high-speed boats will also be ensuring that no potential threat arrives by water.
For the crowds eager to see Obama say those important 36 words, there are also naturally high levels of security. Those with tickets are being warned to bring nothing with them that could be perceived as a threat, including large placards, aerosols, any large bags, backpacks or cooler boxes. They will also have to pass through airport-style metal detectors and screenings for other hazardous materials. The main section of the public, standing in the National Mall, will also be subject to random security checks from undercover and uniformed police and military.
And if all of that wasn’t impressive enough, the one thing that has probably got everyone talking the most is the limousine that will transport the new president along his one and a half mile parade route. The details of its design are still unknown, and the secret service will not even confirm that it exists. It’s being referred to as ‘Cadillac One’ in the press, but, in my opinion, the far better name that people are using for it is ‘The Beast’. And it’s not hard to see why. More tank than road car, it’s equipped with state-of-the-art coded communications systems, 5 inch thick bullet-proof glass, 8-inch thick doors, night vision cameras, and a fully sealed interior to protect against any chemical or biological attack. It has also been rumoured that a stockpile of Obama’s blood type is carried within the vehicle, presumably in case serious medical attention has to be given to the president from inside the car itself.
And the cost for all this security? It’s rumoured to be at least 50 million dollars, and that’s not even including the limo.
(97 views)
A lot has changed in the two years since Barack Obama announced he was running for president - and it's a very very different world that the new commander-in-chief will be dealing with when he takes the job on Tuesday afternoon.
Back in February 2007, the focus of US politics was on Iraq - and no-one would have thought for a minute that in just 23 months, there would be a pretty good consensus about a timetable for withdrawal from that country. Also back then, the economy was looking pretty healthy - although a few voices whispered that problems in the mortgage markets weren't being dealt with, most people kind of took for granted that the US would retain its levels of growth, and it would have been unspeakable to suggest that some of the nation's biggest banks would be teetering on the brink of collapse, or that the auto industry (and pornography industry!) would be going cap in hand to congress and asking for a rescue bail-out.
A similar situation has been mirrored in the UK, but while Gordon Brown was already in power when most of these problems hit the headlines, Obama was in the middle of a campaign, in which he had been setting out policies based on the situation at the time.
So in what ways has Obama changed? Well, for one thing, every speech he makes, although still retaining that stirring rhetoric of a new beginning, and a 'renewal of the American dream', now includes (and usually starts with) some cautionary words of warning (on Sunday, at the concert featuring U2 and Bruce Springsteen, you could sense a real effort to focus minds, at least temporarily, away from all the glitz and onto more sober topics).
He is also taking a very bold line with the banking situation - pushing for a great deal more public money to be ploughed into the failing sector, in a move that some would have once considered 'reckless' - it's a step away from the ideology and into the tough reality of a president in a tough corner.
The situation in Iraq really has taken a backseat - it's just not the main thing American people care about right now. It seems so distant and removed from daily worries over redundancies and foreclosures that there is little political capital to be made there (and, in fact, perhaps some to be lost). The stance on Guantanamo has also quietly shifted - while originally promising to close the notorious terror-suspect detainee camp immediately on taking office, Obama now admits that it may take up to 10 months to sort everything out, and to ship off many inmates to foreign lands (possibly including the UK).
The new president is also keeping on some of the national security and military staff that were instrumental in George Bush's foreign policy adventures. Some claim this is an indication that Obama is becoming more 'hawkish' - others say that the closer he gets to the White House, and the more official secrets he learns, the more he has to toughen his stance, and ensure a reasonable continuity and transition.
Of course, it's only expected that any incoming leader would have to change some of his policies as he actually gets into office. But Obama is faced with some of the most complex, and rapidly changing, issues and problems that any president will ever have encountered. Two foreign wars, a global economic recession looming, an ongoing crisis in Gaza (despite the ceasefire) and possible threats from Iran and North Korea, would doubtless test any president. The potential trip-up situation for Obama is that he may not get much time to get going on the longer-term issues that are so close to his heart (including national healthcare, poverty and climate change), because of all the shorter-term reactions and policies he will have to deal with from noon on Tuesday.
One thing's for sure: he will have to hit the ground running; and he has an enormous job on his hands. As ex-US secretary of state Madeleine Albright put it recently, Obama's task is like "redesigning the airplane while you're flying it".
Inauguration Bingo
Plan on listening to Obama's inauguration speech? Why not play Absolute Radio's Inauguration Bingo with your friends as you listen to it. Just download the
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