So, Bush left office today. I’m happy about this. However, I must say I was a little disappointed to hear that he left in a helicopter. I had always envisioned him leaving office on the the ground. Pursued by a crowd bearing pitchforks and torches. And I’m not sure, but I don’t think they’ll allow you on a helicopter with a pitchfork or a torch these days.
Though I didn’t watch any of the coverage, I do like this bit:
After the inauguration ceremony, some in the crowd waved at the aircraft in the sky. Others, however, cheered when they heard a television broadcaster announce, “George Bush is no longer president of the United States.” Still others in the crowd, broke into chants of “Na-na-na-nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”
I can’t help but mentally associate that with the other chant that is regularly uttered at the end of a football game, when one team is very decisively beaten: Overrated (clap, clap, clapclapclap). I try to be optimistic here and there, but it doesn’t fit well with my dry sense of humor.
In other news, after months of preparation and countless meetings with the top scientific and religious leaders in the country, Obama found that, in fact, he still can not walk on water.
Fuck. It didn't look that hard.
This is unfortunate as the original Inauguration plans called for him to deliver a stirring speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and then walk across the reflecting pond to be sworn in. While a choir of angels sang. In tune, with overtones. And all of the porta-potties on the mall instantly turned into arboretums. Instead the events had to split into two days.
For those who thought it would be a cold day in Hell before a black man was President of the United States, it was. There’s actually a small town in Michigan called Hell. It’s not far from Detroit and Ann Arbor (don’t act surprised). It was about 5 degrees there today. Though really, being in Michigan, it’s cold there a lot, so I don’t think that was the limiting factor keeping a black man out of office as much as it was all the racist bastards in this country.
Also, satellite images of the Inauguration, click through for the higher res, they’re cool.