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(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...

It was not precisely lip-synching, but pretty close. The somber, elegiac tones before President Obama’s oath of office at the inauguration on Tuesday came from the instruments of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and two colleagues. But what the millions on the Mall and watching on television heard was in fact a recording, made two days earlier by the quartet and matched tone for tone by the musicians playing along. The players and the inauguration organizing committee said the arrangement was necessary because of the extreme cold and wind during Tuesday’s ceremony. The conditions raised the possibility of broken piano strings,...

On December 5, 2008, we said: "Questions have been raised as to whether Chief Justice John Roberts could administer the oath of office to a man who he believes may not be entitled. Chief Justice John G. Roberts will have to KNOW that Barack Hussein Obama II is eligible to 'enter on the execution of his office,' before he administers the Inaugural Oath of Office.'" The Chief Justice of the United States did not make a mistake when he flubbed the oath of office. He did not want to issue the oath to Obama because of his doubts. By failing...

“Forty four Americans have now taken the Presidential oath.” Is it too early for me to nominate this to be the phrase that gets "chiseled into marble"? Obama’s first words to us as President of the United States he has already bungled it. Actually, forty three Americans have been sworn in as President. Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms and was, therefore, the 22nd and 24th President. Not a big deal right? Splitting hairs you say? Well, since these jokers have pounced on every grammatical error of our former President for the past eight years, I intend to return the favor....

The presidential oath of office should be re-administered to Barack Obama because of his flub during Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, legal experts say. Because of a mistake by Chief Justice John Roberts, Obama transposed one of the words in the oath. He should have said he will “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States,” but instead repeated Roberts’ cue and said he will “execute the Office of President of the United States faithfully.” Josh White of the Washington Post noted: “The presidential oath of office is required of a new president before he can execute his power, and...

What they did on Inauguration day is what we can expect for the next 4 years.

President Obama's Inaugural Address? Clichéd, surprisingly dull, naive, and memorable only insofar as it was forgettable. Mr. Obama's oration wasn't even...

Obama's Disappointing Speech Posted at: 2009-01-20 14:57:00.0 Author: Michael Sean Winters President Barack Obama’s inaugural address was surprisingly leaden. It did not soar like his "Yes, We Can" speech after losing the New Hampshire primary, nor did it chart his plans for governance as did his convention speech in Denver. Most strangely, it did not seem to capture the history of the moment the way his election night speech did. Part of the problem is with the nature of such an address. This was the speech of a head of state, not a head of government, even though the President...

Are We Having A Ball Yet?: The Inaugural Party Bubble Bursts Don't you hate it when you pop a bottle of champagne and it's flat? So, too, with some of these inaugural balls. If you nabbed a ticket to one of the official balls sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee tonight, you're fine. But some of the other high-profile parties have been canceled or are still scrambling to cut costs and sell last-minute tickets, leaving ballgoers disappointed or out in the cold. The People's Ball at the Grand Hyatt announced a blue-light special yesterday: Tickets slashed $100 -- to $250!...

The Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery gave the benediction at today's inauguration of Barack Obama. It could more accurately be called a political ramble. It was, in no uncertain terms, an embarrassment. And as loathe as I am to have to use a word that has long been at the heart and soul of liberal thought, I will break out my liberal/english dictionary and say it ... It was offensive. Said Mr. Lowery: "We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back ... when brown can stick around ... when...

The President in his Inaugural Address: For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity...

“And when a member of the MSM pleasantly surprises us, we’ll make a point of handing out the kudos.”– FinkelBlog launch announcement, 1-19-09 Sooner than we expected, we’re going to begin delivering on our promise to note those too-rare occasions when the MSM does some surprisingly solid reporting. On a day when most of the MSM is in paroxysms of sycophantic joy, ABC’s Ross was willing to play something of the skunk at the inaugural party. At the end of Good Morning America’s first half-hour, ABC’s chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross presented his report on the 216 high-rolling donors who...

While the nation's capitol buzzes with inaugural fever, party crasher Nancy Pelosi has used the air waves to demand prosecuting the outgoing president. She's at odds with her party's leader and the President-elect, again. "I don't believe that anybody is above the law," Obama said in a recent television interview. "On the other hand, I also have a belief that we need to look forward, as opposed to looking backwards." But there was Pelosi, on the eve of the Inaugural, harping over an investigation she wants started into whether the Bush administration broke the law when it fired a group...

“If you're wondering what Congress is going to dish up for taxpayers as "stimulus", there has been a bill since Thursday - 258 pages of fun reading, in case you're skipping the inaugural festivities and are looking for something to do.”

Have you remembered to pay heed to Barack Obama worship services at his inauguration this Tuesday? If you are a Verizon customer you just might be getting an urgent reminder of this sacred duty in the form of a robocall as related by Brian Maloney of the Radio Equalizer: Yesterday, I was all set to write a smug, self-congratulatory post regarding my tremendous wisdom in finally dumping Comcast a few weeks ago for the complete Verizon Fios package, including cable. With Comcrap now establishing an all-Obama channel, isn’t it finally time to make the switch? Sadly, however, Verizon did something...