Inauguration 2009

Liveblogging the Inauguration – Thread 2

12:28: It is done!

12:29: "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."

12:29: I think the Oath of Office will be administered again in private. How can the Chief Justice botch something so simple?


12:35: Drudge is already blaming President Obama for the botching of the Oath, even though it was the Chief Justice who put the "faithfully" at the end of the sentence -- the president knew it so he paused to allow Roberts to fix it. Unbelievable. But whatever.12:48: I seriously would love to know what Bush and Cheney were thinking when President Obama said:

We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy.