Before an unprecedented and historic crowd literally filling the capitol city, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. badly flubbed the presidential oath of office, an oath many of us--including many children--know virtually by heart. The president-elect, who is a Constitutional scholar, waited patiently before flashing his trademark smile and moving forward with Roberts' reworked oath, figuring, I suppose, that as long as the words were in there, that was all that mattered. The press is spinning the flub as a bad case of nerves on the Chief Justice's part, but given the historic nature of this inauguration, I am quite sure the flub offended millions who'd waited entire lifetimes for this day to come. The least the Chief Justice could have done was practice a little. I was watching CBS's coverage until their repeated open mic faux pas ticked me off and I switched to a pro network. ABC's coverage was much less amateur night, less obtrusive with no noticeable "I didn't realize my mic was hot" screwups. All things considered, the event was pretty dull. Aretha Franklin was in bad voice (although, considering her age and the frigid weather, it was certainly understandable), and the poet Elizabeth Alexander rattled off a completely incomprehensible bit of business that left me scratching my head wondering what I was listening to. I missed Pastor Rick Warren's invocation but, given the brouhaha surrounding his inclusion, I'm confident most of us were left wondering what the big deal was. Warren apparently left his politics out of the prayer, while The Reverend Joseph Lowery notably did not. Perhaps balancing out the Chief Justice's seeming indifference to the moment, Lowery certainly offended millions with his thinly-veiled gloating, dressed in sheep's wool of homespun aw shucks. It was terribly inappropriate, as Lowery tends to be, and in poor taste. Warren was at least gracious enough to perform the task he'd been asked to perform. Lowery went duck hunting.

The now-former president George W. Bush did not attempt to hide his discomfort with the proceedings, at which his policies and his judgment were the Cinco de Mayo piñata. Most every sentiment expressed from the Capitol steps contained an at least indirect shot at Bush, who sat in coat and scarf, choosing not to pretend it wasn't below freezing outside. The newly sworn-in president, however, delivered his speech without a coat or scarf or hat. I'd have worn all three: catching pneumonia is hardly the measure of presidential wisdom. I'm sure the new president's thermal underwear and body armor helped somewhat, but it sure looked cold out there.

Obama's inaugural address was no "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For you," but no speech has been since President John F. Kenny uttered those magnificent words in 1961. Instead, Obama's speech was workmanlike, lacking ready applause lines and pretested sound bites. It wasn't a homily but a shift commander address factory workers: this is going to be a tough year. Maybe a tough four years. America is a mess, and we all know who messed it up. George W. Bush took the oath of office in January of 2001 with a prosperous nation at peace. Obama assumes the helm of a bankrupt country at war. With the worst yet to come. I imagine the new president chose, in that light, to forego poetry in favor of stoicism: roll up our sleeves, get to work. We can get through it, but only if we get off the sofa, stop blaming Bush and start solving our problems.

“Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” he said. “Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. “Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered,” Obama said. “Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.” Recalling a verse from the 1st Book of Corinthians, Obama said, “The time has come to set aside childish things,” and he declared: “Today, I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.”

I remain amused that the Christian right, whom I hold largely responsible for Bush and therefore the mess this country is in, appears to be in mourning, perhaps feeling betrayed by their quasi-standard bearer Warren. I like Warren because he approaches his conservatism in a more pragmatic and inclusive way, which I find more attractive than the harsh rhetoric of Falwell, Dobson and others.

That the :"moral" right is weeping now seems wholly ironic considering they take absolutely no responsibility for what will likely become the second Great Depression, among many other miseries now besieging this nation. Theirs is only one concern--abortion, an issue their knight, Mr. Bush, did absolutely nothing about in eight years while stringing these folks along with spurious promises and claims of being born again. Obama taking the oath of office is hardly the stake through the heart of their perversion of the love of Jesus Christ, but it is the symbolic collective sigh of an entire planet, that Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney, and their cynically disingenuous faux jingoism have finally hit the road.

We have no idea whatsoever if Mr. Obama will be any good at this. But, the way I see it, even a mediocre presidency from Mr. Obama will be a vast improvement over the tragedy of the Bush Administration. As I wrote back in 2001, when George W. Bush was sworn in as president of the United States, I wept. I wept again when the now former president stepped aboard his helicopter. The world breathed a collective sigh of relief: thank the Lord he's finally gone.