It's interesting to see the build up to Obama's inauguration. But I think a lot of it is based not just on a looking forward, but on relief that the Bush Era is over. I can't imagine that even Republicans felt this much relief, and weight-lifting-from-shoulders when Bush came into power, and Clinton's time was over; because no matter what changes he brought about that they didn't like, there's no way you could call his presidency a disaster.
The Bush presidency was just soooo paaaaaaiiiiinful.
I feel like we've all been on some terrible vacation where everything went wrong (and by we I mean non-Americans... I can't imagine what it's like for Americans), and you turn the corner onto your street, and finally fiiiiinally you're home home home. You'll sleep in your own bed. And no matter what happens that week, life will still be that much better because you'll be eating Shreddies in your own friggin' kitchen. Or maybe it's like that feeling you get when you've been down with a terrible flu&pneumonia for two weeks, and that blessed day come when you wake up and you realize... you can breathe again... you can swallow without a bomb going off... and you can sip soup without puking it up.
At this point Bush reminds me of a terrible boss I once had. He was eventually given a Talking To by the President of the company, so he started trying to make everyone love him. Of course he didn't know how. So whatever respect we still held for his position, at least, was gone. He became the store clown. Our favourite joke. He was The Office. Bush has become David Brent.
So... Obama is a Human Being and not a god, and there's going to be a letdown or backlash at some point... but I do understand this End of an Era feeling. And here's my sendoff... my favourite Office episode (and the song Gilby sang the whole day we were in Oxford). "She's deeeaaad!"
I like A. O. Scott's short online video movie reviews on the New York Times. In time for The Inauguration is his review of Malcolm X (apparently Obama cites the book as an influence.) It's one of my favourite movies, and I loved the book it was based on. I highly recommend it for any who haven't seen it. Malcolm went through several transformations in his life, which Spike Lee portrays in part by using different lighting/film techniques. Think I'm due for a re-watch.
