It’s been a fascinating day of sights, sounds and words, and I’m sure we’ll be talking about it off and on for the rest of the week. Before I forget, let me express gratitude to the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers working the Inaugural for avoiding the ever-present possibility of tragedy.
Here are some final thoughts for the day itself:
* Charles Pierce impressed by Obama speech, which is good reflection of general reception on Left.
* Meanwhile, Erick Erickson calls himself part of the “loyal opposition,” and tells conservatives to stop being “professional victims dialed up to 10 on the outrage meter.” Wow.
* One of America’s great experts on speechcraft, James Fallows, adjudges the address “the most sustainedly ‘progressive’ statement Barack Obama has made in his decade on the national stage.”
* At TNR, Jonathan Cohn places Obama’s speech in the context of past Second Inaugural Addresses.
* In honor of Obama’s emphasis on equality, check out Phillip Longman’s essay on how inequality shortens life-spans, from the January-February issue of the Monthly.
And in non-political news:
* Fashionistas start weighing in on inaugural garb.
Here’s a video of the Inaugural Address in case you missed it:
Selah.
