aFlickringLight weblog

January 20th marked the beginning of a new chapter in American history as we moved away from the partisan and war-minded administration of George W. Bush to the more modern and hopeful Barack H. Obama. And, he’s the first African American President elected to office, a detail retired General Colin Powell noted following the inaugural address.

A southpaw from Illinois, President Obama has already signed Executive Orders and begun the undoings of the last eight years. First to go was the steadfast rule of jackets or blazers required in the oval office by former President George W. Bush.

And then President Obama announced that his entire staff will be required to attend an ethics class. Pay freezes have been implemented for staff making over $100,000, and on his first full day on the job, Obama was already busy on the phone calling officials in the Middle East.

And yet amidst all the festivities and celebrations, at least one thing did go wrong – the Presidential Oath. As Wolf Blizter commented on CNN,

Chief Justice Roberts had one job to do today, and he kind of screwed it up.

He is of course referring to the blunder that occurred in administering the Presidential Oath of Office, a 35 word dissertation. Legally, though, Barack Obama was already crowned President at high noon, a stipulation of the Constitution of the United States.

Regardless of the mess up, change has already begun. The White House website was switched over promptly at noon, and re-runs of the inauguration are abundant. Watch below to relive the history as it happened, and remember where you were, what you were doing, when this historic event happened. Your kids may ask you someday.

[photo by The White House]

“We have chosen Hope.” ~President Barack Hussein Obama

Change has come to America as former Senator Barack Hussein Obama (D-IL) was sworn in by Chief Justice Roberts just past noon eastern standard time. Festivities filled and packed with supporters and hopefuls, Capitol Hill became the stage for this historic inauguration. The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama represents more than hope, more than change. He is the nation’s first African American President. He calls out to the Middle East and offers peace to those who will join the movement against terrorism. He calls out the past as problematic, and he lays the path for a bumpy road ahead.

But it is a brighter day. With an estimated attendance of over 2 million, plus the billions that watched the inauguration around the world on the Internet and on television, Obama made clear one thing – he will represent an administration of you, of Us. And as George Walker Bush flew off on Executive One for the last time, we were reminded of the past, and happy about the future.

CNN is getting its viewers involved in cataloging a historic moment in American History. On January 20th, viewers will be able to email photos to CNN, which will in turn will import those photos to Microsoft’s PhotoSynth application, to render (hopefully) a true to life 3D model of Washington DC as the festivities unfold.

At 12pm EST, the Moment will happen. President-Elect Barack Obama will shed the ‘elect’ from his name as he places his hand on the Bible and takes the presidential oath of office. And we will get to see that moment in unprecidented HD coverage, via the news networks on tv and this year, online, and even on your iPhone.

Common, if this makes Wolf Blitzer giddy, it’s gotta be big.

[CNN, photo by AFP/Getty]