Inaugural Oath No. 58

I resolved to focus on the process and not be distracted by the politics of last Friday’s Presidential Inauguration. Like most people, I have been in school or working during last 15 Inaugurations of my lifetime, so have only seen its history in bits and pieces. Never the whole ceremony. I wanted to remember this one.

As I clicked through channels on Friday morning, I wasn’t interested combative intensity of the CNN panel and my TV kept shutting off when I tuned to FOX News– I don’t know what that was about. I found other networks commentators chawed over the November election results rather than reporting on this day. That was annoying. CBS seemed reliable and respectful (I still think of it as Uncle Walter’s place), so I stayed with Scott Pelley and Bob Schieffer through most of the day.

I tuned in just as the Presidential and Vice-Presidential couples were leaving the White House after a traditional tea to drive to the Capitol. As Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama drove off, the CBS team noted that this would be the last time the two of them would be alone together before the oath. What would they talk about? World hotspots, the strength of the dollar or that the second floor toilet in the residence needs to have its handle jiggled just right to get it to stop running?

Once at the Capitol stage, it was interesting to see the power pecking order within the federal leadership through the seating chart. Four of the five ex-presidents had good seats (George HW Bush and Barbara wanted to be there but were restricted by doctor’s orders). Members of the Supreme Court had a clear view as did majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. A Green Bay Packer hat appeared some rows back and up -- Rep. James Sensenbrenner from Wisconsin I learned later. I didn’t see a Georgia representative, other than President and Mrs. Carter, and they were not wearing Atlanta Falcons head gear.

The Trump and Pence families took up many of the first couple of rows on the left hand side of the aisle. A young daughter of Mr. Pence and young son of Mr. Trump looked bored by it all. Lots of sighing going on there. I thought that Melania and Ivanka had a similar cut of coat, so I wondered out loud if it was the same design with just a different color. That would be practical, I thought. My wife practically fell out of her chair, laughing. I guess not.

Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri was an able master of ceremonies before a crowd that was respectable for a rainy forecast and divided country, but not near the fantastic numbers claimed later. I don't see why that matters. The Senator put the ceremonies in historical context for everyone. He said that the Inauguration should not be  “the celebration of (electoral) victory but (a celebration) of democracy instead.”

He then introduced Justice Clarence Thomas who administered the vice-presidential oath to Mr. Pence, and Chief Justice Roberts who administered the 35-word presidential oath to Mr. Trump. President Trump’s short Inaugural Address (16-minutes) followed. After a few more prayers, the ceremony was adjourned. People on the balcony filed into a congressional luncheon. Michelle and President Obama flew to Palm Springs and Dr. Jill and Vice President Biden took the Amtrak to Delaware. After the lunch the new president and his family were released for a parade down Pennsylvania Ave., Inaugural Balls, and checking on the second floor bathroom. 

And that was it.

An ending and a beginning, yet also a peaceful transition within a republic that reaches back to 57 other executive oaths that crowds of various sizes have witnessed. Some of those oaths marked major epic changes in our country, and some a policy of normalcy. After only the first few hours of this administration, it is hard to know what the next four years will bring. As armchair commentators, we can try to guess, but history always has the final say. And though history teases us, it does take its time with the reveal.