Obama, With Stars and Masses, Celebrates (Photo Galleries, Too)

[No Elephants]

Source: Chicago Tribune-Swamp Politics

Joined by tens of thousands of well-wishers who gathered at the foot of the powerfully evocative Lincoln Memorial, President-elect Barack Obama celebrated his imminent inauguration at a star-studded gala Sunday afternoon filled with the electric sense of history as the nation prepared for its first African American president to take office.

With the theme of "We are One" meant to reflect the unifying spirit of Obama's presidential campaign and the presidency he has promised, the various celebrities from Hollywood and pop music each tried to capture some part of what this remarkable moment in the nation's history represented.

Though the temperatures hovered around freezing and the sky overcast, the excitement of the crowd was palpable as the nation readied to end the controversial Bush presidency and usher in the new Obama era.
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Musical performers Betty Lavette, an African American and Bon Jovi, who's white, for instance, performed a duet of the most powerful songs of the 1960s Civil Rights era, "A Change is Gonna Come," which speaks plaintively of pain of racial oppression but also of the hope that America would one day progress to the point of justice.

At another point, actress Laura Linney introduced a video of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's inauguration by citing the difficulties he faced which bore a striking similarity to those the nation is experiencing today. "When Franklin Delano Roosevelt arrived at the inaugural stand on the steps of the Capitol in 1933, 25 percent of workers had lost their jobs, banks were closed, foreclosures were mounting and the American people were terrified."

Read more: http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/01/obama_with_stars_and_masses_ce.html

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Good story about last night's Inaugural events, plus pics,, from PE Obama's hometown paper.

A real bonus is the right hand side of the web page. Several photo galleries, including a 135 pic photo gallery, starting with pictures of baby Obama and toddler Obama, courtesy of Maya Soetero. VERY enjoyable.