In a word: cold. Even while typing this story (see above). Cold says the Los Angeleno.

After strapping on two pairs of socks, gym shorts underneath jeans, two shirts, a sweater, a brand-spanking new down-filled jacket, a hat, and pair of gloves that no Los Angeleno would ever have had in his arsenal, I began the four-mile walk from Arlington, VA, to the base of the Washington Monument.

It was fairly empty through Georgetown until we got to about 22nd and K Street. It was there that we met up with a third friend and merged with the throng of people making their way toward a date with this country's new destiny.

And if you need further proof of the temperature people were braving:

And to combat the cold? Coffee, of course.

Walking into downtown Washington D.C. among the two million other people descending on the National Mall was exhilarating. Like the Democratic National Convention in Denver last year, the energy in the air was absolutely electric, but that was about party unity. This was something far grander.

We are in a national crisis. Back in Denver, it was a question of whether we could set aside the divisiveness that defined the campaign, let go of the past, and move forward in lockstep.  

In Washington this January, optimism charged many of the exchanges between complete strangers at the inauguration. But was this optimistic sentiment about the saying goodbye to Bush or was it about celebrating President Obama?

Did white liberal guilt motivate Obama's young supporters?


To them (us) Bush is the quintessential White Devil and Obama's election absolves all of his white supporters from the harm Caucasians have inflicted on the country and the world.

Instead of accentuating the positive, things such as the two-story inflatable G-Dub shoe toss threatened to undermine Inauguration with negativity.

But nothing on the walk in demonstrated the positive energy crackling through the frosty air than the first portion of the video below. Contrast this with the second half of the video, which shows that even two million strong represent an isolated bubble in terms of Obama's potential divisiveness as a Clintonesque political figure to the roughly half of the country who voted for McCain.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media seemed to ask every African-American in attendance:

"Did you ever think you would live to see this day?"

While it's a cliché, the sentiment was clearly real and strong. From the second I stepped on the plane at LAX, it was instantly noticeable--pride and history were writ large on the face of every African-American person I saw. Parents grasping children by the hand, making sure they are well-aware of the significance every step of the way, no matter the age.

Many of the whites I spoke with had one eye trained on the past as they gave George W. Bush a kick in the ass on his way out the door. To them, the past eight years were a bitter time that should never have happened in the first place.

Once we had found our place and the ceremony began with introductions of dignitaries and former presidents, the chatter was all about whether Bush would get booed or not. People gave Laura Bush a pass (deservedly so). But for George W. Bush? Surely people would have more respect than that.

"Don't deny me my right to catharsis," said Jacob Steelman, a 32-year-old teacher from Virginia.

"He's so self-centered and has never given a shit about any of the people in this country, " Steelman said. "Why should I care about him right now?"

My (white) friend Max Zimbert was quick to bring up Gitmo, illegal wiretapping, and the U.S. Attorney firings in the face of any apologist rhetoric overheard in the vicinity.

The sizable international contingent all had interesting takes on the Inauguration. I ran into French, German, Japanese, Czech, and Canadian citizens. Canada had a particularly strong showing and was very much into the transformative nature of Obama's presidency. Some took it as sign that their country would follow by ousting their conservative prime minister (and Parliament hater) Steven Harper. But our neighbors to the north were feeling quite optimistic.

One duo of Japanese men (from Tokyo) were simply there to witness history. Others from Europe share the same dour memories of the Bush Administration and were happy to see his helicopter fly off later that day. (One note: it was the Americans singing "Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah naahhh, hey hey heeeyyyyyy, gooooooo-ooood byyyyyyyye" when he flew overhead).

But the host committee had to be well-aware of the possibility that Bush's reception from the crowd would match the temperature of my toes. They brought the wives and a few other people out before Bush and a wheelchair-bound Cheney both came out together (presumably to minimize the need to disguise the booing on the TV broadcast with soundboard trickery).

And boy did they get booed, at least by the tens of thousands I could hear. Perhaps it was part restlessness in the bitter cold. Instead of stamping around to an invisible beat to keep warm, here was somewhere some frustration could be directed.

Surprisingly, Rick Warren also got a pass. If anyone had been the ire of the far-left wing of Obama supporters, it has been this man. I spotted three people behind me wearing rainbow scarves and asked them what they thought of him.

"Necessary evil, I suppose," said one woman who traveled from California, understanding the political expediency behind the pick despite feeling that reaching that far across the cultural divide shouldn't have been given such a large forum.

"Such is life," another said. Their support for Obama was unwavering in the face of the larger problems the country is facing. He would prove his mettle with the LGBT community once social issues were back on the table, she said.

I found Warren's invocation to be trite, forced, and sappy. Snickers abounded with his exaggerated pronunciations of Sashaaaaaa and Maliaaaaa. Even harder to swallow were Warren's generic platitudes on tolerance and inclusion. One nearby couple marveled at how talking about the triumph Obama's election for the civil rights movement without drawing a parallel to the struggles of the LGBT community represents "nearsighted idiocy."

Despite the need for a little catharsis and the intermittent wacky protestor, though, he Inauguration was a rare display of humanity. Whether it was the celebration of "the end of a error" as a few t-shirts described the Bush Administration, or marveling in the overnight restoration of America's inspiration potential, it's hard to deny this moment:

That so many people, of every creed, nationality, and color had to be there to witness this moment and did not let expensive air travel in a sputtering economy, massive price-gouging on hotels and rentals, or bitter 19 degree cold prevent them from doing so, was a astronomical show of support for Obama's presidency. The sense of solidarity never expressed itself in the type of random hugs and handslaps you see at sporting events or the quasi-sincere emotions of intoxicated concert-goers. It was more of a silent awareness everyone possessed while making eye contact throughout the day.

Obama's speech was inspiring, if not spectacular. He offered up a deft blend of cautious optimism and outright calls to action, in line with his necessarily sobering message of "this will time take" maintained since his victory speech on November 5.

One friend remarked later that "Obama stays on message even more than Bush." I countered that I thought that was valid, but that the motivation behind the message was entirely different. At least that seemed to be everyone's hope.

The clock is now ticking on the 44th President of the United States. There is only one president, as he said so often in the run-up to this day.

Only now, it's him.