Today was so excellent I couldn't believe it was really happening. I was totally enthralled with the inaugural ceremony, and the attendant ceremonies and luncheon.
I thought Obama's speech was superb, and his luncheon remarks were simply incredibly real and down-to-earth. I am so proud that he and his family will live in the White House for the next four years.
From '66 through '69 I was in the army in Arlingrton, VA; and after that I drove a cab for nine months. I got to know D.C. and its environs very well, which made today's events even more fascinating for me. It was a miracle that the crowd came and went with such seeming efficiency, though I'm sure I wouldn't be talking about efficiency if I waited on a subway platform for hours, or couldn't find a porta-potty.
I kept thinking about MLK's Poor Peoples' March on Washington, and the Vietnam War Moratorium. Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger singing near the Washington Memorial, and Nixon in the White House watching pro football on TV. I also remember seeing dozens of troop carriers go into the underground parking garage across the street from Constitution Hall the night before the Moratorium. I was the only person on the street to see them, which gave me cold chills. I had no idea if the troops would storm us at the rally the next day. They didn't.
The country is different tonight. The world is different tonight. May President Obama thrive in his honorable service to his country.
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