The speech was a bring-us-together speech, and a Republican could have easily delivered the same address. …..Now he has to live up to it.

Ah, there’s the problem. If someone like Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal talks about “a new era of responsibility”, I can believe they mean what they say.

But I find it very hard to believe, for example, that the Chicago machine politician who was the all-time second largest recipient of FM/FM campaign cash is really going to do something about making the mortgage lending process more responsible.

And I find it hard to believe the President Obama who promised the terrorists that we would defeat them. Not while Code Pink leaders are sitting in the VIP seats for his inaugural and not when that same President waited less than 24 hours after taking office to halt all the military prosecutions at Gitmo, including those of the 9/11 plotters.

President Obama has a track record of speaking eloquently and then doing exactly the opposite (remember his pledge to take federal campaign funds and limit expenditures?). Much of what he says are “just words”.

So for now, I remain a skeptic. I’m not “willing to suspend disbelief”, to use Hillary’s phrase.

Well the inauguration wouldn’t be as big. But as far as atmosphere, I think it would be fine but not as festive. Most black folks thought Obama would lose even as they cast their votes on Election Day. So the whole “black riots” is just silly. But McCain wasn’t popular with conservatives. And I think conservatives in Congress would have been fighting with a President McCain many times. Look, I wanted Colin Powell to run. I deeply respect the man. And if it was Colin Powell running against Hillary Clinton, black folks would have voted Republican. Yes, many of us voted on color. But not in a malicious way. But because it was THE FIRST. And that has always been a big deal in America: FIRST! Look I understand the disappointment that many conservatives feel. You had a man that really wasn’t a conservative lose to Obama. So you had to endure a protracted period starting with Bush Jr and then the presidential run. That’s tough. And I’m not the teasing type so I don’t get enjoyment in that.

All I can say is that I hope President Obama sincerely brings Republicans and Conservatives to the table and enact policy that doesn’t sweep conservative ideals under the rug.

We have only one president, and for the time being, Barack Hussein Obama is the man. We can work to change that in 2012.

Beyond that our new president gave a tremendous inaugural address: well-crafted and magnificently delivered. I had a couple of small quibbles, but that’s about it.

The speech was a bring-us-together speech, and a Republican could have easily delivered the same address. President Obama didn’t launch into left-wing bromides, and actually talked about being proud to be an American, about American exceptionalism, and that we would fight and win against our enemies. It was a great speech.

Now he has to live up to it.

A really good speaker is able to focus on the one they are suppose to be repeating after.

I’m surprised he didn’t just say “Present” and explain that taking the oath was above his pay grade.

Also, try taking that oath and screwing it up like that when you join the military or are hired by the Government. You will repeat it, as you are to be focused on the words and on the flag at all times as you take that oath. – Lorica

I’m no fan of Obama, not by a long shot. I think he’s an empty suit, can only talk competently when there’s a telepromter in front of him (I’ve seen him speak without one, it’s brutal to listen to), etc.

This, I think anyone would have flubbed it given the circumstances. You can see the look on his face was “Oh, ok…we’re doing it differently.” About the worst thing you could say is that Obama didn’t adapt and go with the flow, but that’s about as far as I would go. And yeah, I know, had the same thing happened to McCain or Bush (in his past inaugurations), the left would have been all over it. But we’re not the left, and we shouldn’t act like them.

And I’m with everyone else, I hope Obama fails to get his policies enacted. I don’t want to see him fail in his constitutional duties (“preserve, protect, and defend”), but his far-left agenda needs to go down in flames.

On the other hand, if those promises too had their expiration date (as all Obama statements seem to) and he moves toward the Center, then I wish him success at that and at stopping the worst excesses of the Pelosi-Frank faction.

Regardless, however, I do wish him luck. With the state of the world these days, he’ll need it.

I won’t be watching the inauguration of Barack Obama today. Not that I have anything against the man personally: I almost never watch any inaugural. I bear him no rancor: his side won, my side lost. I’ve been through enough……

If Obama succeeds in pushing through his promised tax and spending increases, it will mean a weaker economy, more job losses in the private sector, and a return to the stagflation of the late 70′s. So I want him to fail.

If Obama follows through on his campaign rhetoric of rapid disengagement from the WOT, it will give terrorists worldwide “hope” that the beating they’ve taken since 9/11 may be over. I want him to fail there too.

You see the pattern. If he succeeds, America fails. I’d rather see America succeed than any president, regardless of party.

Of course, if he moderates from the campaign platform and accepts the counsel of centrists like T-Steel, I’ll reconsider that stance.