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Giving Bush a pass -- again (Inauguration costs part 1)

Grandpa — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:05:34 -0800

Giving Bush a pass -- again
The D.C. press corps failed to ask hard questions about the inauguration's huge cost and its unprecedented security.

Jan 20, 2005 | In Sunday's New York Times, John Tierney examined the delicate balancing act administrations face when throwing a lavish inauguration celebration against the backdrop of unsettling world events. Tierney wrote that inaugurations "become even trickier during times of war, particularly when television images of dancers in black tie can be instantly juxtaposed with soldiers in body armor."

Tierney must be confusing the D.C. press corps as it might be expected to function -- posing uncomfortable questions to those in power -- with the press corps that exists in Washington today. Because the notion that the television networks or 24-hour news channels would spend their inauguration coverage contrasting the scenes of wealthy corporate donors toasting the president while young soldiers and middle-aged Guardsmen battle in Iraq is wildly naive. During the nearly 24 months of war coverage of Iraq, many American news outlets have remained steadfastly allergic to relaying disturbing images of war, particularly anything that shows Americans being wounded or killed. So the idea that broadcast journalists would use this celebration, of all things, as a time to press President Bush on Iraq simply does not reflect the modus operandi of today's mainstream media.

This week's inauguration story came ready with two interesting news angles: the huge cost (in contrast with the dire situation in Iraq) and the unprecedented security. And in both cases, the political press corps, as has been its habit under the Bush administration, showed little interest in prying. In the days and weeks leading up to the event, the press has largely treated inauguration criticism as partisan and silly, making sure to give Bush backers lots of time and room to defend the unmatched pomp and circumstance.

Yet according to a mostly underreported Washington Post poll this week, a strong majority of Americans -- 66 percent, including 46 percent of Republicans -- would have preferred a "smaller, more subdued" inauguration, given the ongoing war in Iraq. In other words, Bush's overblown celebration ranks as one of the few political issues that most Americans agree on -- a phenomenon the press ignored.

For the media, simply reporting on the cost of the inauguration proved to be a challenge. Most major outlets stuck to the lower, albeit still unprecedented, figure of $40 million, which the Presidential Inaugural Committee said it hopes to raise from private donors. But a more accurate figure may be $50 million. That's the amount cited by the Washington Times (which is plugged in to GOP circles). But even that number doesn't take into account the nearly $20 million that's being spent for security, putting the real cost at closer to $70 million, instead of the media's preferred $40 million.

And it might have been helpful in the limited media debate that did take place about the inauguration's costs to point out that if the $40 million to $50 million raised for the GOP's parties had been donated to the war effort, as some have suggested, the money would have covered only about six hours of the U.S. military's operations in Iraq. (Costs are running roughly $110,000 per minute there.) Also interesting but unnoted is that between the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations, Bush and his supporters have spent roughly $115 million total on parties and parades.

The same brand of tentative reporting occurred with regard to the massive, unprecedented and still unexplained security blanket that has turned the nation's capital into something akin to an armed fortress, with snipers on rooftops, bombers flying overhead, Humvee-mounted anti-aircraft missiles dotting the city, and manholes cemented shut. This despite last week's assessment compiled by the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, which declared, "There is no credible information indicating that domestic or international terrorist groups are targeting the inauguration."

Nonetheless, like butter on a humid summer day in Washington, reporters have simply melted away from asking pointed questions about the costly security overkill (nearly 9,000 police officers and military personnel will be deployed) -- a buildup that clearly plays to Bush's political advantage by keeping terrorist threats at the top of people's minds.

When not deferring to Bush administration officials on the unprecedented security, news teams from outlets such as Time magazine, ABC News and Fox News have been busy hyping terror threats -- leaked by Bush administration officials -- about explosive-filled limousines that could literally crash the inauguration. "Imagine a terrorist plot to gut this entire vehicle except for the front seats, filling the rest with high-grade explosives, enough to bring down a building," intoned ABC's Chris Cuomo (emphasis added). The terror "reminder" sent to intelligence officials this week was based on al-Qaida documents seized last year that made no reference to the inauguration.

The press's timidity toward the White House has been on constant display since the election. In selecting Bush late last month as its Person of the Year, Time, which devoted eight stories and 17,000 words to toasting Bush in that issue, seemed in awe that a Republican wartime president, who once boasted approval ratings in the 70s, was able to defeat a liberal from Massachusetts in the election. And contrary to dispatches from the campaign trail about how Bush had repeated the same vague stump speech over and over again throughout the fall, Time insisted, "Bush ran big and bold and specific all at the same time, rivaling Reagan in breadth of vision and Clinton in tactical ingenuity" (emphasis added).

Playing catch-up, Newsweek's Inauguration Eve cover story this week was equally fawning, insisting that contrary to what readers may have read or suspected, Bush is "hands-on, [is] detail-oriented and hates 'yes' men." He's a commander in chief who "masters details and reads avidly, who chews over his mistakes" and who "digs deep into his briefing books." According to whom? Bush's closest "aides" and "friends," of course.

Newsweek also reported that Bush's natural self-confidence was boosted by his "clear election victory" in November. But as Salon previously noted, in the past 80 years, only three times have presidents been elected with fewer than 300 electoral votes. Bush accounts for two of the three anomalies; in 2000 he won 271 electoral votes, and in 2004 he captured 286. (Jimmy Carter is the third example, with 297.) By way of comparison, Bush's final margin of victory was almost identical to Carter's win over Gerald Ford in 1976, when there was very little discussion of a mandate for the Democrat. Yet to Newsweek's eyes, Bush enjoyed a "clear victory."

Meanwhile, U.S. News and World Report's cover theme this week -- again courtesy of Bush aides -- is the president as a big thinker. The Los Angeles Times echoed that premise with the first sentence of a Monday news article, declaring, "As he prepares to launch his second term, President Bush is aiming for nothing less than a legacy that would rank him among America's great presidents."

Press coverage doesn't get much friendlier than that. Perhaps the White House should consider it an inauguration gift.

Ceremony soars to £110m ($160,188,074.92) (Inauguration costs part 2)

Grandpa — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:17:14 -0800

ceremony soars to £110m
By Paul Thompson (London Daily Mail online)
Last updated at 5:28 PM on 14th January 2009

'State of emergency': Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to Obama's £100m inauguration
Barack Obama's inauguration is set to cost more than £100m making it the most expensive swearing-in ceremony in US history.
The President-elect will take less than a minute to recite the oath of office in front of an estimated two million people in the US capital next week.
But by the time the final dance has been held at one of the many inaugural balls the costs for the day will be a staggering £110m.
The cost was revealed as Mr Obama scrambled to answer questions about the nomination of Treasury Secretary pick Timothy Geithner.
Geithner - the president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank whose selection by Obama as Treasury chief in November - is facing questions about an 'illegal' housekeeper whose work papers lapsed while she was employed by his family, and about several years when Geithner did not pay £35,000 of Social Security and Medicare taxes for himself.
Obama's White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said in a statement that Geithner had committed honest mistakes that he quickly addressed upon learning of them.
'He made a common mistake on his taxes, and was unaware that his part-time housekeeper's work authorization expired for the last three months of her employment.

More...
'We hope that the Senate will confirm him with strong bipartisan support so that he can begin the important work of the country,' Gibbs said.
As the Obama team went into damage control over Geither, President Bush declared a state of emergency in Washington - because so many people were expected to attend the inauguration.

The Obamamobile: The first official photograph of Obama's new armoured limo, which he will ride in for part of the swearing-in parade, and which can withstand rocket and chemical attacks
Enlarge
The Capitol building in Washington during a clean-up operation for the Inauguration Ceremony
In doing so he paved the way for unlimited funding to be released to those local authorities responsible for staging the event.
A president mostly uses the power to declare a state of emergency during a crisis, such as a hurricane or other natural disaster.
The bulk of the cost for the event will be on security with more than 10,000 police and troops forming a ring of steel around Washington DC.
Obama has managed to raise £30m towards the cost of the event with a host of Hollywood stars, including Sharon Stone and Halle Berry, contributing the maximum amount of £33,000.
Enlarge
Army Honor Guard members march as they rehearse at the Capitol in a rehearsal last Sunday

An invitation for the Inauguration of Barack Obama
His money will fund many of the extravagant balls and also for giant TV screens to be placed along The Mall to allow visitors to witness the historic moment when America swears in its first black president.
A spokesman for Obama said they wanted as many people as possible to be able to witness the event.
But it will be the US taxpayer who picks up the main part of the bill to cover security and transport costs.
Officials in Washington DC and neighbouring states have sent a request to Congress for £50m to cover a variety of inaugural costs.
Enlarge
The Presidential route: The rehearsal for the inauguration ceremony saw two stand-ins for the President-elect and the First Lady-in-waiting
Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty revealed that is amount that will be billed in the days after the January 20th event. US authorities had previously budgeted just £10m for the day based on previous inaugurations for George Bush and Bill Clinton.
A White House spokesman said President Bush had willingly approved the extra money.
He said President Bush 'declared an emergency exists in the District of Columbia' linked to the inauguration.

More than 2million spectators are expected, and thousands of seats are currently being set up along the parade route
It said the city would get federal money for protective measures 'undertaken to save lives and protect public health and safety.'
At least two million people are expected at the swearing-in and parade next Tuesday when Obama will be seen in his new official limousine, dubbed the 'Obamamobile'.
Officials estimate 10,000 charters buses will arrive in Washington with roughly 500,000 passengers.
All bridges leading into Washington are being closed and cars banned from a two mile area where Obama will stand on the steps of the US Capitol building to take the oath of office.
Visitors have been told to use public transport and be in their place at least three hours before the service begins.
U.S. intelligence services said such a high profile event would be perfect for a terrorist attack, but they have no specific intelligence that anything has been planned.
Obama will use the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln during the swearing in ceremony.

Obama's Curious Inaugural Rhetoric

Cassandra57 — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:32:03 -0800

** Public Post **
I found this brief item illuminating and insightful. For your information and discussion.

Obama's Curious Inaugural Rhetoric

By Paul Kengor
Something quite notable was said before an audience of tens of millions of Americans on January 20, 2009. And although I wasn't the only one who noticed, the full implications seem to have been missed.

Alluding to the American founders, President Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Address, stated: "The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." This seemed to be a reference to the Declaration of Independence, or at least to the principles in that sacred political document.

The moment I heard those words, I immediately noticed -- as did others who quickly commented -- that Obama neglected two crucial things from the most famous line not only in the Declaration of Independence but in the essence of the American founding: 1) He left out the unalienable right to "Life;" and 2) He left out the words "created" and "Creator" -- the God who "endows" that "Right," a right which is a "self-evident" "truth."

This slight was significant for a myriad of reasons. Chief among them, it is patently clear -- as it was to the American founders -- that one must have life before one can even begin to entertain liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is why that quintessential right is so fundamental and unassailable, as theologians and political philosophers alike have long pointed out in their admiration of the founders and their Declaration.

When I say "founders," I mean founders, since Thomas Jefferson himself wrote that very line, which was then preserved and approved in a series of edits and revisions to Jefferson's text by John Adams, Ben Franklin, and the entirety of the Continental Congress.

Even that, though, does not get to the heart of what Obama pronounced. Whether the new president -- and his speechwriter and staff -- realized it or not, he appears to have inter-mixed the core of the Declaration of Independence with the core slogan of the French Revolution: "liberty, equality, and fraternity." He seems to have integrated the guiding document of the French Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man, with the guiding document of the American Revolution.

There, too, in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the emphasis on "life" is replaced with "equality," as it was in the new president's Inaugural Address. In the French manifesto, the word "life" is non-existent, as are the words "God" and "created" or "Creator."

That was no accident by those who spearheaded the French Revolution. The revolution of Robespierre and his Jacobins was secular, militantly atheistic, socialistic, even communistic. (On the communistic: some historians have called the Jacobins the "first communists," and Vladimir Lenin called his Bolsheviks "glorious Jacobins.") The American founders, who read the French documents, saw the dangers endemic in the words of the French revolutionaries. As John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson, expressing his trepidation for the French Revolution, "I know not what to make of a republic of thirty million atheists."

The American founders understood what we need to understand: that words and ideas matter. We should read them carefully, and consider them. What Obama said in his address is, presumably, an expression of his view of America, of government, and, yes, literally of "Life."

So, how can it happen that such a mangling of the most famous quotation in American history could take place before the (supposedly) largest crowd at the most hyped inaugural ever, and with such a profound, far-reaching twist of language, and few noticed or care? The answer is American education, from K-12 to higher education, which is a human disaster.

Consider one anecdote as an example:

In Cupertino, California, in November 2004, a fifth-grade teacher, Steven Williams, was barred by his school from giving students historical American documents that mention God, including the Declaration of Independence. "It's a fact of American history that our founders were religious men, and to hide this fact from young fifth-graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful," said Williams' attorney, Terry Thompson. "Williams wants to teach his students the true history of our country."

The teacher's mistake was to teach the truth -- an inconvenient, unwelcomed truth. Ironically, it was the objection to this truth, and the prevention of the teacher from teaching this truth, which produces Americans incapable of recognizing the political-historical butchering on display before them in Obama's Inaugural Address.

Compounding the problem, in the case of Obama's inaugural, is that even fewer Americans -- needless to say -- learned anything about the vicious secular-atheism that was the thrust of the French Revolution.

The rare institutions where students study such things, such as Grove City College, its Center for Vision & Values, and its programs, like the American Founders Lecture Series, are a mere drop in the sand in the arid desert that is American education.

Thanks to decades of terrible teaching, we are now reaping the desiccated fruit. It doesn't taste good, and a long period of wandering is now upon us.

Paul Kengor is author of The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism (HarperPerennial, 2007) and professor of political science at Grove City College. His latest book is The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007).

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/obamas_curious_inaugural_rheto.ht...

If you're planning on going to inauguration - PLEASE READ THIS!

syako — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:42:37 -0800

Inauguration is quickly approaching, and if you are planning on braving the million+ crowds, it may help to read some of this information that's been published about the event locally. While I cannot share your excitement for the president being sworn in, I can share with you some advice and tips on how to stay safe, healthy, and most of all happy.

Despite restrictions, city still will be packed
By Leah Fabel - Examiner Staff Writer 1/9/09

Near-impossible car access to the District on Inauguration Day could limit crowd size and leave many stranded on the region’s roadways, but within the city packed conditions likely will remain.

Even if only 1 million people make their way through Metro congestion and security checkpoints, that’s about twice as many as can fit on the National Mall...

Allowing for 5 square feet per person, slightly larger than an opened newspaper, just over 500,000 people can fit between the West Lawn of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Pack in 1 million onlookers and the nearness would be comparable to packing about 2,000 people onto a basketball court.

“I don’t know where you’ll put a million people,” said McPhail, who has analyzed dozens of D.C. crowds.

Security officials have been expecting between 1 million and 2 million people in town for the inaugural events even before yesterday’s announced road closures, according to a Wednesday morning briefing by top police and FBI officials.

Up to 300,000 could funnel through 13 security checkpoints along the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route, and countless more could be trapped in their cars on congested roadways when Barack Obama takes his oath of office.

... But for the people who trekked across the country to witness the inauguration and find themselves unable to board a train or cross a Virginia bridge into the District, frustrations could boil over.

...“People are coming to celebrate, and I’m hopeful that this won’t become so onerous that people get angry,” Mendelson said...
Read full text here

Inauguration security measures a hassle for everyone
By Kaitlyn Funk - Special to The Examiner 1/9/09

While only the city’s bigwigs will be attending ritzy private parties along the parade route, all attendants of the Jan. 20 celebration downtown will have limited access to transportation that threatens to interfere with plans.

Building closures are also spoiling high-profile, celebrity inauguration events ...

Checkpoints inside the security perimeter will also limit mobility once the parade has started.

“It’s going to be a much more sequestered parade from the standpoint that once someone gets somewhere, they’re there for the day,” said Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of M Capital Management, a firm that will host a private party at the Capital Grille at 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. “I get the sense that there’s going to be no ability to go from spot to spot."
Read the full text here.

If you are going, make sure you continually check the local newspapers about road closures, building closures and more importantly bridge closures. As of right now, it seems the only way to get in to DC will be via the metro, which will be operating at more than full capacity.

As my mother would say, be safe. And Be Smart.

Aretha Franklin, Itzhak Perlman to Rock Obama Inauguration

justingirl1989 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:06:22 -0800

Aretha Franklin is slated to sing at Barack Obama's inaugural swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20.

Franklin, 66, will be joined at the ceremony by Dr. Rick Warren, an evangelical minister and author of the best-seller The Purpose Driven Life. Warren will give the invocation.

Obama has also selected classical violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who will perform a new piece of music composed by John Williams.

The inaugural program is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on the West Front of the Capitol. The United States Marine Band and the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus will open the festivities.

Details of the inaugural program were announced Wednesday by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies chaired by Senator Dianne Feinstein.
– Brian Orloff http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20247614,00.html

WE WANT OBAMA: Calls for inauguration tickets through the roof

dreamsugar — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:54:12 -0800

There have been calls from forgotten childhood classmates, from long-gone girlfriends and boyfriends, and even from the widows of deceased Chicago icons.

In the three days since the election of Barack Obama, the demand for tickets to Inauguration Day events has been unprecedented, local congressional officials said.

"It's crazy," said Sharon Jenkins, spokeswoman for Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.). "We're in a unique moment in U.S. history. Every day under Obama's administration is a first, and people want to be a part of it."

Tickets to inaugural events are free of charge and distributed through members of the incoming Congress. The ceremonies are coordinated by different committees, and the tickets to the events are distributed differently. Events include a morning worship service, a procession to the Capitol, a swearing-in ceremony, an address, a parade and balls.

Jenkins said Rush's office received about 400 phone calls from residents about the Wall Street bailout package over a two-week period. But in the three days after Obama's election, the office logged more than 1,500 phone calls from people seeking tickets.

Residents should beware of anyone claiming to sell tickets, inaugural officials said, because tickets will not be distributed until January and the members of the House and Senate do not know how many they will receive. It's not illegal for recipients to resell tickets, but it is strongly discouraged.

Jason Tai, a spokesman for Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.), said, "We have not calculated final numbers, but it's safe to say there's been a lot of demand."

At the office of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), officials are adjusting their Web site to handle the demand because the volume of calls has been so overwhelming.

"Constituents want to be in Washington and witness history," said Kenneth Edmonds, a spokesman for Jackson. "No one should be surprised. It's a reflection of the extraordinary enthusiasm President Obama's candidacy has unleased."

Edmonds said he hopes organizers will consider accommodating many more people than they have in the past.

"This is going to be an inauguration like no other," he said. "Everyone that can get here and get the time off from work is probably going to get here. Anyone who has a muse to get here is going to find a way."

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-obama-tickets-08-nov08,0,18...

Beyonce Offers to Sing for Barack on Inauguration Day

justingirl1989 — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:52:00 -0800

If Barack Obama needs a singer for Inauguration Day in January, he can count on Beyonce Knowles.

"I'm there. I can't wait," she told the Associated Press. "I feel like all of us, we're ready to do whatever we have to do. Whatever they want -- if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there, and I'm ready."

See photos of Jay-Z and Beyonce through the years!

She said that she was supposed to be in Japan on election night, promoting her new album, I Am ... Sasha Fierce. At the last minute, she opted to stay home.

Look back at Beyonce's style hits and misses over the years.

"I said, 'What am I doing? I'm completely making a bad decision. I have to go home. I'm gonna kill myself if I'm not home in America,"' said the singer. "I knew I needed to be here."

See photos of Barack's biggest celeb fans!

After he won, she said she "fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time. I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!"

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/beyonce-offers-to-sing-for-barack-on-inau...

Inauguration Photo - HiDef with Zoom

MartiniLush — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:27:54 -0800

A friend sent this to me:

2009 Inauguration Photo - SUPER HI-DEF
This is absolutely the BEST in 'high definition'..... Really amazing.

Zoom in ('double-click' an area) ....and watch it focus.
Then zoom some more... and wait for focus.

What a surveillance tool this is. !

This picture was taken with a robotic camera and weighs in at 1,474 megapixel. (295 times the standard 5 megapixel camera)

It was a Canon camera, over 200 individual shots stitched together.

Each zoom in takes a second to focus ...and then you can see some amazing reactions.

Bonus points if you find Yo-Yo Ma .... taking a picture with his iPhone.

http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?auth=033ef14483ee899496648c...

I tried but couldn't find Yo-Yo Ma Can you??

HAPPY INAUGURATION DAY!!!

Shiloh Jolie Pitt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:29:56 -0800

Farewell to the disastrous Bush Era:

- The threat of 9/11 ignored.
- The threat of Iraq hyped and manipulated.
- Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib.
- The after Hurricane Katrina mess
- The shredding of civil liberties.
- The rise of Iran.
- The systematic destruction of our environment.
- Gross political corruption.
- Economic disaster.

This is the day we begin a new chapter in our history. Let’s all work together to make America grand again!

And let's all enjoy the festivities today because tomorrow the hard part will start.

We can change the world. Welcome to the New Age of Reason!

America The Beautiful - Lee Greenwood

Inauguration (DELTA PARTY)

GKitty — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:48:18 -0800

Aquascutum Pippa cocktail dress

Christian Louboutin Satin platform sandals

Bulgari Cocktail 'Jenna' Python Pouchette Clutch

Curved Journey Diamond Pendant in 18k White Gold (2 ct. tw.)

Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Art Deco-inspired bracelet with diamonds in platinum

Zasha - Open Brio Charms - Saks.com

For your review...