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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's lofty ideals from his inaugural address ran smack into reality Tuesday on the first working day of his second term.

At least one brave and patriotic American attended the Presidential Inauguration and is in the parade route with an American flag in the 'distress position' and the white Gadsden flag by the way, which is affiliated with the Culpepper Militia Minutemen so they were very brave! LINK HERE: go to photo #50 http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/opinion/opinion-inauguration-roundup/index.html?hpt=op_t1 —

(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama opened his second inaugural address by quoting the statement from the preamble to the Declaration of Independence that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." He then went on to say that if men were in fact created equal, then homosexual “love” must be equal as well. “What makes us exceptional, what makes us American," said Obama, “is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by...

Barack Obama is perhaps the only modern president who has had the burden of swatting away comparisons between his own soaring rhetoric and that of our 16th president. You may recall that, in the wake of the Newtown massacre, Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter David Maraniss gushed over the president’s remarks, writing, “People will long remember what Barack Obama said in Newtown,” and calling the speech “[Obama's] Gettysburg address.” Today, thanks to MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, it took less than five minutes for the comparison to be drawn between President Obama’s second inaugural address and, well, all manner of things Lincoln. “It reminds...

What is former Pres Bill Clinton thinking right here?

Four years ago--January 20, 2009 to be exact--the First Lady stepped onto the world's stage in a white one-shouldered gown by Jason Wu and catapulted the young designer to insta-fame. What followed was a trajectory any designer would envy, including a Target collection, a slew of celeb fans, a new bridge line, and the impressive company of other designers who have dressed first ladies, including Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta.

President Obama is putting a symbolic twist on a time-honored tradition, taking the oath of office for his second term with his hand placed not on a single Bible, but two -- one owned by Martin Luther King Jr. and one by Abraham Lincoln.

Rev. Louie Giglio, who had been announced as the pastor to give the benediction at the presidential inauguration, has now pulled himself out of the ceremony, after criticism of his previous anti-gay comments and actions, sources confirmed to ABC News. Giglio, who is now Pastor at Passion City Church in Georgia and his role at Obama’s second inauguration was first announced Tuesday. But the liberal website Thinkprogress reported Wednesday on audio of Giglioi delivering a sermon in the mid-1990s in which he said homosexuality is a sin and advocated gay “recovery.”

Only seven companies have offered corporate cash to help fund President Barack Obama’s upcoming inaugural festivities. In 2009, Obama banned corporate donors from paying for his inauguration, but he was still able to raise $53 million from private donors. However, this month’s inauguration is being held after the most expensive presidential campaign in history, and even with the corporate donations will be a scaled-down event. This year, fewer people are expected to attend the inauguration and there are only two official balls planned. … According to the Inauguration Committee’s website, more than 400 people have donated toward the events. So...

Politico reported on Thursday that Eva Longoria will co-chair the 2013 inauguration committee along with former Ambassador to Sweden Matthew Barzun, Democratic National Committee National Finance Chair Jane Stetson, and technology entrepreneur and Obama bundler Frank White. “Vice President Biden and I are grateful to these distinguished women and men for agreeing to serve as co-chairs and honorary co-chairs, including presidents from both sides of the aisle who have dedicated their lives to serving the American people,” Obama said in a statement. The actress served as a national campaign co-chair for Obama and bundled $271, 300 for his reelection effort. Additionally,...

Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens: On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed. At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For...

My wife and I braved the 8 degree temperatures and drove to Santa Fe for Susana's swearing in and Inaugural speech. I had a pretty good vantage point so I thought I would share these clips with my fellow Freepers. Sarah had campaigned here for her, which I think gave her a good boost!

Andrew Cuomo is sworn in as New York's 56th Governor ALBANY -- Andrew Cuomo was sworn in as New York's 56th governor Friday night, taking the oath of office in a private ceremony at the Executive Mansion. The event was an emotional return for Cuomo and his family, who occupied the mansion during the 12 years his father, Mario, served as governor from 1983 through 1994.It was also a pinnacle moment in the long political career for Cuomo, 53, who ran his father's first campaign in 1982 and long sought to hold the seat himself one day. Mario; Andrew's mother,...

Mr. Song Millinery on Woodward Avenue in Detroit has struck a sour note with Aretha Franklin. It was her inaugural hat that caused a flood of orders from around the world. And now, the Queen of Soul wants royal treatment from store owner Luke Song for wearing it. "I think that I should be getting big time royalties from him. That's what I think," said Franklin in an interview with WWJ's Vickie Thomas at Sunday's NAACP Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner.

(Obama Inauguration Lincoln Memorial Event)I grew up in a military family -- and my role models in life were my Mom and Dad, Lt. Col. Earl Woods. My dad was a Special Forces operator and many nights friends would visit our home. They represented every branch of service, and every rank. In my Dad, and in those guests, I saw firsthand the dedication and commitment of those who serve. They come from every walk of life. From every part of our country. Time and again, across generations, they have defeneded our safety in the dark of night and far from...

(CNN) -- An Ohio man who was suspended as the drum major of a band for giving President Obama a nod during last week's inaugural parade is calling it quits. John Coleman resigned from the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes & Drums a week after the parade in Washington. Publicity about his suspension had gotten to be too much, he told CNN affiliate WEWS. "It's come to a point where I don't want embarrassment anymore between the pipe band and myself," Coleman, who is a firefighter, told WEWS on Tuesday. Coleman was seen during the nationally televised January 20 parade nodding...

Pre-inaugural chatter speculated what each of the ministers would say. Would the Rev. Rick Warren use the opportunity to pray against the maladies of abortion or homosexuality? Would he end his prayer in the nonpolitically correct and exclusive "in Jesus' name"? Would the Rev. Joseph Lowery resurrect a civil right spirit in his ecumenical prayer? Would he slide in a pro-gay comment within the final entreaty of the inauguration? (SNIP) ... just when you think the "amen" is imminent, Warren gives a coup de grace to any political or earthly power – a possible subversive chess move to subtly call...

by Edward Hudgins January 23, 2009 - Presidential inauguration addresses are usually forgotten since it’s what the chief executive does after he’s sworn in that is of most importance to citizens. But inaugural addresses can tell us something about what is to come in a president’s administration. That is why Barack Obama’s deserves some attention. The most famous inaugural words in American history are literally chiseled in stone on the wall of the memorial to Obama’s favorite president. There you can read the eloquent words of Abraham Lincoln from his second inaugural address, where he declared the need “to bind...

The First Lady has excited the fashion world, but like Diana she would rather champion the less fortunate than be a mere clotheshorse. Michelle Obama’s flair for fashion has captivated Washington and set the hearts of glossy magazine editors aflutter. She has already eclipsed Carla Bruni, the super-model chanteuse and wife of Nicolas Sarkozy, the hyperactive French president. Not since Diana, Princess of Wales, has there been such a glamorous role model at the apex of society. In her white, one-shouldered chiffon gown, she boogied to Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours and slow-danced with her husband at a...

The political postscript to all the hugs, kisses, personal Oval Office desk drawer notes and backslaps between POTUS 43 and POTUS 44 isn't exactly a warm, Pete Seeger, sing-along scene. I went to high school with Pete's Daughter, Mika; he was a great icon and true believer in harmony back then and still is, at a spry 90, leading a million-plus citizens in song last Sunday in DC. But partisans from former and current administrations are striking a very different tone. The smell of fresh upholstery hasn't even worn off the new, improved White House website yet and already there's...