2009 Presidential Inauguration

Over the next few years, we're going to see the traditional DC game of Political Chairs played by Republicans and Democrats, with fervently held opinions and outrages abandoned in favor of new, more convenient opinions and outrages.  It's a normal human thing to be captured by convenience, but Washington DC seems especially immune to the idea of categorical imperatives.

Two columns by Media Matters' Eric Boehlert (latest via Steve Benen) capture this "...aaaaand switch!" dynamic quite well.  In 2005, Boehlert was outraged at Bush's inauguration.

• He wrote, "The D.C. press corps failed to ask hard questions about the inauguration's huge cost and its unprecedented security." 
• He emphasized a poll that showed Americans would have preferred a smaller inaugural party (did the Washington Post even bother doing one of those this time around?).
• He attacked "the costly security overkill" which "clearly plays to Bush's political advantage by keeping terrorist threats at the top of people's minds."
• He criticized the media for only reporting confirmed numbers, rather than using the speculative, uncomfirmed numbers that had been named in some places.
• He puts "the real cost at closer to $70 million, instead of the media's preferred $40 million."

Flash forward to 2009 and Eric Boehlert is feeling the Change. 

• Rather than criticizing the huge cost and unprecedented security of the 2009 inauguration, Boehlert attacks the media for using inadequate numbers for the 2005 inauguration, putting Obama's 2009 inauguration in a comparatively bad light.
• After spending 2005 criticizing the media for not using the speculative, unconfirmed numbers cited in some places, Boehlert is suddenly aghast that the media is using speculative, unconfirmed (but entirely reasonable) numbers.
• The "real cost" of Bush's 2005 inaugural has gone from "closer to $70 million" (Boehlert, 2005) to "$157 million" (Boehlert, 2009).
• Not a word about security "overkill".

Mind you, neither of Boehlert's articles is really wrong, per se.  You can be outraged about the enormous cost of a party for a politician and outraged about the press' inability to understand the numbers involved.

But the difference between these two articles is certainly instructive about the sincerity of his outrage over unconfirmed numbers, the cost of an inauguration and security overkill.

By Tim Tompkins http://theinvisiblehand.typepad.com

Rev. Rick Warren has been picked by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the swearing in ceremony on January 20, 2009. At exactly 12:00 noon eastern standard time, the Chief Justice John Roberts will preside over Barack Hussein Obama's Oath of Office, making Barack Hussein Obama the 44th President of these United States. This is an historic event, probably a little bit more historic than on January 20, 2005 when Rev. Dr. Luis Leon gave the invocation at George W. Bush's second inauguration. This announcement and historic occasion presents a challenge to Rev. Dr. Rick Warren, what shall I pray? I took it upon myself, to help out the good Doctor & Reverend, so I placed a call to the Saddleback Church in California. The receptionist was friendly and pleasant, as I told her of how God laid it upon my heart to help the good Doctor & Reverend with his supplication. As you can assume, I did not get through to the Doctor & Reverend Rick Warren, not is all lost because I have his email and guess who is getting a link to this article? To help the Reverend out, I want to accomplish two tasks, first educate the American People, as you all know by now, the American Populist is not to bright. I mean, when God handed out the brains, the Americans where ahead of the Brits but behind the Chinese, Mexicans, Arab States etc., so the American people need to be brought-up to speed. Second, I do not want to put words in the good Doctor & Reverend's mouth, I want to give him some examples and tips on praying great prayers that get past the ceiling. First, most if not all Americans have no clue what an invocation is? In the words of Forrest Gump, "my momma says," if you do not know what it means use a dictionary.

in⋅vo⋅ca⋅tion [in-vuh-key-shuhn] –noun

1. the act of invoking or calling upon a deity, spirit, etc., for aid, protection, inspiration, or the like; supplication.

2. any petitioning or supplication for help or aid.

3. a form of prayer invoking God's presence, esp. one said at the beginning of a religious service or public ceremony.

I like number three, that is what an invocation is, prayer invoking God's presence. I thought it was interesting to note that in some way or another the Reverend Billy Graham or his son, Franklin has been a part of the Presidential Inauguration since 1953, except for 2005 and now with the emerging Billy Graham of this generation Dr. Rick Warren, oh how I digress.

Moving forward to the second part, style and substance. To accomplish a style and substance that is for this generation, the instant generation, the generation of instant messaging, cell phones, texting, Blackberry, ipod, iphones, etc. etc. etc., you get my point, the prayers of Billy Graham are like hymns to this generation of CHANGE. What you need is hip, refreshing, and meaningful prayer. By this, I do not mean, lets throw away the prayers that came before us, no, no, no, because in each generation there are prayers that reach across generational lines, that are powerful, that are meaningful, that are hip, and they all come from the depths of the heart. Dr. & Rev. Rick Warren, here is your key, pray from the depths of your heart and in the words of Aretha Franklin "Say a little prayer," keep it short.

Dr. & Rev. Rick Warren here are examples of prayers that came from the depths of the heart, from ordinary, everyday men of God. I have purposefully left out the One, who taught us how to pray,but the ones you will examine invoke his lesson of crying out to God from the heart.

JABEZ: A Humble Man of God, found in I Chronicles 4:10

"And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."

KING HEZEKIAH: A Great King who relied on God's Strength, found in II Kings 19:15-19

Hezekiah then went into the house of the LORD and prayed. "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only."

MARTIN LUTHER: The Simple Reformer, Here I Stand for truth.

"Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart."

PETER MARSHALL: The Man Called Peter who changed a Nation.

"O God, forgive the poverty and the pettiness of our prayers . Listen not to our words but to the yearnings of our hearts. Hear beneath our petitions the crying of our need."

JIM ELLIOT: A martyr for Christ.

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."

ELVIS PRESLEY: A lost soul who found faith in Christ.

"SEND ME SOME LIGHT-- I NEED IT."**

Dr.& Rev. Rick Warren, all the above prayers come from men who were real, even though they have all gone to glory, their words, their utterances, their prayers from the heart are timeless and relevant for this generation as they were when they were first uttered.

Remember Rev. Warren, on January 20, 2009, when you stand before our nation to offer a prayer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the ONE TRUE GOD, utter those words from the depth of our nation's heart and keep it short and your words will spark this generation of CHANGE, just remember Elvis, "SEND ME SOME LIGHT -- USA NEEDS IT.

**Larry Geller, “If I Can Dream”: Elvis’ Own Story, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989), Inside Jacket

-LEX REX a.k.a. Tim Tompkins http://theinvisiblehand.typepad.com