Photos: 55th Inauguration--George W Bush (4 more years!!!)

Friends, what a day! Not only did the president make an excellent speech, but today's inaugural festivities were absolutely fantastic. Anyone notice how sun came out when Bush spoke? That was priceless.
As promised, here's a few photos for your viewing pleasure. More to come.

Thank you Mack.

Separate but related: Boy, was I proud that my old alma- mater, Culver Military Academy, was again represented in the Parade.

Culver's Black Horse Troop is a national treasure -- and once again the Troopers -- sharp and poised as ever -- did the old school and "W" proud!!

Clinton forbade the Troop from participating in either Inaugural Parade for fear of projecting too military a presence...if you can imagine. The Troop had been a significant element in the Parade since President Wilson's inauguration -- and I was so proud to see them back where they belong. (I am CMA, class of "48, but an infantry grunt in "B" Company.)

What a day!!! Proud to be an American!

It's actually quite easy to take photos of Bush--he's photogenic!! Even from a great distance.

BTW, if anyone has access to websites where troops regularly visit, please feel free to post some of the photos and/or provide link to the Webshots album. Our young men and women were/are very much a big part of the inaugural festivities. Many might not have gotten to the tube. (Natch, email me @ luzsa.photo@gmail.com offlist and I'd be happy to do. Just pls provide info.) Thanks!!

FYI, I added another dozen or so of photos ( http://snipurl.com/c7p5 ). It's ready to storm up this way, so I'm through for now. Many more raw shots, so if anyone wants a link to look through those online, pls email me off-list.

One final note. The troops, police, security --everyone involved-- did a super job. The uniformed men and women looked sharp, were professional, and under the unbelievably challenging circumstances, deserve our thanks. That said, it's unfortunate the WPost ran a front-page piece today about how some couldn't get to the festivities. Yes, the security was tight, but if you got there early, mapped out your route, you did fine. (It's not just me either.)

I'm not suggesting the WPost shouldn't have run the piece, but if you read it, nearly every quote comes across negative. (I'm not counting the feedback re protestors, since I agree that many of the young folk were way out of line and did nothing to move forward their agenda. Sorry about that.) Biased article, yes, maybe. Unfair, IMHO, yes.

What if things didn't go as well? The first to have been blamed would've been security. And, the fallout. Oh my.

Bottom line -- DC officals may have some gripes, some folk were inconvenienced, but millions of others had a great time, regardless whether they support Bush. I was there. I know.

###

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.