Ben Furlong came to Washington with a precious commodity. The blue ticket he carried from Arizona guaranteed him a spot in the first standing-room section to see the swearing-in ceremony. Furlong, 77, is chairman of the Yavapai County Democratic Party, and this was his first trip to the District. The white-haired Furlong took his cane [...]

Charlie Brotman is announcing his 14th consecutive Inaugural Parade as I type this.
Brotman is a DC legend. Along with his work with presidents, he's a fixture on the local sporting scene. He announced Senators games at Griffith Stadium. He handled PR for Ray Leonard when Sugar Ray was among the most famous athletes in the [...]

State of Illinois, have some pride. You're the land of Lincoln. You boast of that heritage, on all kinds of official items and tourist appeals.
So you'd think that for the biggest inaugural parade in history, you could come up with your own, authentic, distinctive Lincoln costume for your state society treasurer or some other [...]

People got tired of trying to leave the city:

Cops could have used these:

"Three Million People Trapped On The Mall." This was the headline my travelling companion had given the moment. She was sure it would be the headline of the day. Not Obama's historic presidency. Not Obama's speech. Not Michelle Obama's dress. But the hell [...]

Traffic deadlocks. Detoured buses. Jammed Metro. The city’s roads and railways are completely inundated and it’s gridlock-inducing. But if there’s one traffic channel that hasn’t experienced unendurable congestion (unless you're trying to go from the swearing-in to the parade route), it’s the bike lanes. D.C. Pedicab recognized the inauguration for its unique chance to drum [...]

Little about this inauguration pleases Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations. Not the extended boozing. And not the behavior of the Secret Service.
He reports in a message to LL Daily: "I waited at the 7th & D checkpoint entrance amidst a crowd of thousands; Secret Service had only a few metal [...]

Staffwriter and Obaman Jason Cherkis reports he's been walking for two hours and is not happy about his progress. He's at M and 19th Streets and trying to get home to Mount Pleasant. Cops and "army dudes" (going to go out on a limb here and say they were Army National Guard soldiers) are giving [...]

The elderly woman who caused the Red Line to come to a standstill this morning at Gallery Place/Chinatown is apparently fine, according to Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel. The 68-year-old woman (Metro doesn't ID passengers by policy) was not hit by the train but merely fell onto the track. Her injuries are non-life-threatening.
"They were just very minor," [...]

Clifford Pugh, a colleague from my old Houston days, writes in his Cliff Notes blog today that Michelle Obama's glittery, eye-catching gold dress was designed by Isabel Toledo, a Cuban-born American designer who once tried to inject a more modern style at Anne Klein, where the designer used to work.
"Her choice continues a penchant for [...]

LL Columnist and City Paper's rare hope for up-close coverage, Mike DeBonis, reports he is about to begin his journey. That journey? To debunk the naysayers who say you can't get within spitting distance of the swearing-in of America's First Black President AND watch the parade from sweet digs at the John A. Wilson Building.
IN [...]

The stammering between Barack Obama and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts during the inaugural ceremony, it's now being reported, was a result of Roberts' reciting an incorrect version of the oath of office.
Roberts is no dummy.
Prediction: Justice Roberts will rule tomorrow in United States v. Barack Obama, a suit being filed as [...]

I think Joe Biden was president for a few minutes there, today, if my jailhouse reading of constitutional law is correct. The constitution says that "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office," the president-elect has to take an oath of office. The 20th Amendment says that "The terms of the President and Vice [...]