BARACK H. OBAMA 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

At 12:04 PM on a cold early afternoon this January 20, 2009, Chief Justice Roberts administered the Oath of Office to Barack H. Obama making him the 44th President of The United States of America.

A very solemn and somber Barack Obama took to the platform as the President Elect following then President Bush who had already taken his seat on the West side of The United States Capitol.

Obama had a look on his face and in his demeanor which expressed , to me, that he may have actually understood the burden in which he was taking as President. He seldom smiled, he remained very serious and seemed very cognisant to the fact that he was not only taking the Oath of the Presidency but that he also was representing a transition in this Nation as the first Black President. He refers to himself as bi - racial since his father was black and his mother white.

The history of the moment, whether one supported Obama or not at least momentarily set aside political differences and fears by we who did not vote for him of where he will lead this country as President. An estimate well over one million people crowded the Mall from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial to watch the Inauguration. The crowd is considered the largest in our history surpassing the 1.2 million who witnessed the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson in 1965.

Obama gave a relatively short Inaugural Address, which is rather unusual for him as evidenced by several speeches he has made in the past. It was also a somewhat uneventful address with little that really stood out as compared to other Presidential Inaugurals which usually offer a phrase or a sentence that stands above the rest of the address.

It was good to hear a Democrat speak of fighting our wars and in defeating the terrorist enemy which has been something that he and other Democrats have avoided mentioning in their rhetoric in the past. Whether that will equate in strength behind the talk still remains to be seen.
I was also extremely amazed that Chief Justice Roberts botched the second line of the Oath of Office. After the new President states his name the Oath states , "will faithfully execute the office of President of The United States." Roberts said, "will execute the Office of President of The United States faithfully," which momentarily confused Obama as to whether to repeat what Roberts said or what the Constitution says. Also that Obama interrupted Roberts after his name was stated before Roberts could say, "do solemnly swear." Obama repeated Roberts words which were not exactly as written in the Constitution, and then completed the Oath without further mishap.

Now the Inauguration is over and the parade and other festivities of the day will continue until the early ours of day two of the Obama White House. Then it will be time to get to the business of the people when all of the hype and all of the rhetoric will be tested and we will then discover whether Barack Obama has what it takes to stand in the shoes of those who preceded him as President of The United States of America.

Ken Taylor

Note: Though the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President, I did have an emotional moment in watching former President Bush board the helicopter and circle Washington for the last time. Thank you President Bush for your service and Mrs. Bush for your steadfast support. May your retirement be a blessed time for you both!