Restrained but effective

Craig Strachan

Obama was better in the second half of the speech. Roberts' flub over the oath of office may have unsettled him.

Reg

Your love-in with an unknown entity continues, I see.

The words 'callow' and 'gushing' spring to mind.

THX1138

To Celebrate the inauguration of Obama & the end of Bush I have put together a mixtape of my musical thoughts & feelings on the campaign; the inauguration & the future of the Obama Presidency

It's called A Change is Gonna Come 20-Jan-09

Tracklist

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron
Night Train- James Brown
America -Simon & Garfunkel
American Pie - Don McLean
Uncle Walter (aka John McCain) -Ben Folds Five
Be Somebody -Kings Of Leon
God Bless America -James McMurtry
Changes -2Pac
Gotta Serve Somebody -Bob Dylan
Decatur, Or, A Round Of Applause For Your Step-Mother -Sufjan Stevens
Man Of Constant Sorrow -Ralph Stanley
This Land Is Your Land (Live Version) - Bob Dylan
One Cat, One Vote, One Beer -Ry Cooder
Sweet Home Chicago -Robert Johnson
Sittin' On Top Of The World -Howlin' Wolf
Trust Me -Janis Joplin
America The Beautiful / The Times They Are A Changin'-Spirit

You can download it from the link below

http://tinyurl.com/9dhyyf

I Know most of you on this blog are unhappy that Obama won but I think that we call all wish him well with the enormous challenges he faces - Enjoy the mix, I'm going out to party.

Verity

I see Michelle's wearing upholstery fabric again.

DSR

Verity - miaaaooooww

(Change of target from DC, I suppose)

Reg

Verity: Perhaps she's really a conservative?

TGF UKIP

Was this a timid speech or just a cautious one? It certainly seemed to be trying to be a something for everyone speech, which is why it probably failed as an epoch defining event to the dismay, probably, of much of his liberal intellectual constituency.

It was a speech that touched many bases but contrived to give few hostages both on foreign and domestic fronts. It may well have caused a few "ho ho, ho's" in the capitals and HQ's of America's significant enemies but neither did it lay a trail for a withdrawal to fortress USA.

Equally, domestically, it paid at least lip service to risk-takers and the markets which must have been more than galling for the Democrat Left both in and out of Congress. Likewise his specific mention of failing schools must have jarred exceedingly heavy with one of his most adoring constituencies, the teaching unions.

The biggest question must be - was it a speech designed to fail the occasion?

Interestingly, Fox had an analysis by Michael Gerson, GW's great speechwriter, who while ticking off the bases it touched, remarked that the overall oratory was surprisingly low key and cliche ridden given what had gone before.

Centrist pragmatist or leftist zealot was not revealed but perhaps the speech was designed to perhaps get the Fox commentariat to think the former while the intention remains, as ever, the latter.

Either way, the GOP has nowt to panic about.

Matthew Blott

@ THX1138

Nice effort, appreciated :-)

@ Verity

Spiteful remarks about the very attractive Michelle Obama's physical appearance by an anonymous troll makes me a little suspicious. Are you perhaps not quite so pleasing on the eye yourself Verity?

TGF UKIP

THX1138, you really are so very Cameronesqe you really ought to join his Tory Party at once. An "A" List place would be yours in no time at all.

IdlingAway

I'm with THX1138 on this - we should be happy that America has rediscovered its optimism and its spirit. Put your cynicism aside - an invigorated and energised America is good for all of us who believe in the basic foundations of our value system - freedom, democracy and individual respect. Sure, there are big policy challenges ahead but the remaking of America is the single greatest event of current times. I'm envious of this optimism of America when all we have is the dour destruction of our way of life by Gordon Brown and his cronies.

By the way, great music on the playlist -although I prefer Springsteen's version of This Land is Your Land.

THX1138

Thanks guys, I'm feeling a little emotional tonight, Obama winning means so much to me, I'm sure you understand & you're going to feel the same soon when Dave win's & win's big, c'mon TGF better than Brown keeping his old job.

Regular's like TGF will know I have supported Obama on this blog from the very beginning and have taken a whole heap of flack & tonight I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World

IdlingAway- For you the Bruce version

http://tinyurl.com/82e4yr

From an Obama rally in Cleveland

TGF- If you're ever in LDN I'd love to buy you a coffee, a librul latte of course

Just to prove it's all real

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Gotta go missing the extended Newsnight.

Conservative Cabbie

THX

You know I'm not his biggest fan, but today was something to see and I thought he handled himself very well.

Purely in the interests of fun, I checked my Itunes for a playlist of my own.

Lyin' Eyes - The Eagles
Nobody's Hero - Rush
Who Do You Think You Are - St Etienne
Bringin' On The Heartbreak - Def Leppard
Hells Bells - AC/DC
I Want Out - Helloween
Waiting for The Heartache To Begin - Jimmy Barnes

And perhaps most appropriately - There Goes God - Crowded House.

Enjoy your party. I'll take solace in the fact that the clock is now counting down on Obama's presidency.

Stewart

THX1138 You should have included
'America' by Spinal Tap or 'Dance Called America' by Runrig, a lively rock number.
A Change...(Would Do you good) by Sheryl Crow perhaps!

The speech was a little harsher in tone than I thought it would be. Implied failings of Bush's presidency, hawkish flourish on security situation, stern warning not to fail future generations. Not his best speech but not bad. As always, delivering on expectations will be the toughest part. For Obama it will be harder given the cult like status he is enjoying. However, it seems that Americans are a little more realistic as to what he can/will achieve. It is the rest of the world, UK included, that seems to think he is some type of messiah. In the same way that most fellow Britons I speak to can't give me a legitimate reason for their dislike of George Bush I'm sure many could not give a legitamate reason for their hero worship of Obama. Here's to wishing him good luck and hoping he does a good job though.

Wily Trout

If Bush had fluffed the oath there would have been endless sneering comment about his IQ.

THX1138

Cabbie & Stewart thanks for input and suggestions it's fun game don't you think. Go and download my mix

You should listen to this

Otis Jackson -Tell me why you like Roosevelt

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4mhl4_otis-jackson-tell-me-why-you-like-r_music

Beautiful blusey gospel, I find this very moving.

TGF UKIP

THX 1138, worry not old chap I greatly look forward to reminding you of your Obama cheerleading in the months and years to come.

As you might have gathered I don't do lattes but make it a pint of something stronger and you never know.

THX1138

TGF I'll buy you a pint with pleasure mail me on thx1138@hotmail.co.uk & I'll give you my real e-mail address.

Canopus

Wily Trout, it was the oath-giver, not Obama who fluffed the oath - Obama who clearly knew it, put him right! How's that for a good start? (All important oaths should be given by heart, not read or repeated!)

Ronnie

Remember, this was not a campaign speech it was a speech for government and under the current circumstances bells and whistles would have been somewhat out of place.

Those who don't want to like it won't like it.

Those who are incapable of meaningful political commentary will talk about the First Lady's clothes.

As for music, how about The Clash - 'I'm So Bored with the USA'?

Verity

Suspish away, Matthew Blott.

I noted before that Michelle Obama has a liking for furniture fabric. At Obama's victory party, she came out in a couch throw.

biggestaspidistra

I thought it was a good speech. And Aretha, with a hat that was a piece of furniture all of its own, sublime. Not a bad poem by Ms Alexander + Yo Yo Ma and 'tis a joy to be simple'.

Such optimism. Truly a good day out.

Norman Dawes

Instead of the 'restrained but effective' address witnessed by James Forsyth, I got the faltering and uninspired one instead. How come I missed it?

Verity

Ronnie, as ever turgidly missing the point, writes: "Those who are incapable of meaningful political commentary will talk about the First Lady's clothes."

As vacuous as ever, Ronnie. Some of us can do both. Michelle Obama shops for her clothes in the soft furnishings department, which I think is worthy of comment. She attended her husband's victory party in a couch throw. I have also commented, at length, on her husband's politics.

If you hunger for a "political" comment on Michelle Obama ... happy to oblige. When they began their run for the presidency, Michelle brought great pressure on Princeton University to sequester a thesis she had written as a Masters candidate that was so ridden with race hatred she feared it would damage their chances of getting into the White House. Princeton, for the first time in its 200+ years of history, agreed with reluctance to suppress a document. But they were uneasy with it.

Eventually, their conscience overcame them and they de-sequestered it over her panicky objections.

Is that political enough for you, Ronnie?

Norman Dawes

Instead of the 'restrained but effective' address witnessed by James Forsyth, the President has moved on to his faltering and uninspired speech by the time I switched on.

Ronnie

Verity, actually no. That is teenage tittle-tattle, as usual.

elfraed

No offense, but i can barely stand to listen to him as he tends to belabor the obvious no less than my immigrant forebears did. Those of us who have been here all along, are looking forward to some development and progress in his views in the course of this administration.