Tears mix with pomp at US transfer of power
Agence France-Presse | 01/21/2009 11:39 AM
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WASHINGTON - Tears streamed down faces of the rich, powerful and connected lucky enough to be up close Tuesday as, for the first time, an African-American vowed to "preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States" as president.
With his hand on the Bible first used by the Great Emancipator, slain president Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama made the promise offered up by only 43 other men in a choreographed peaceful transfer of power.
The ceremony was formal, but the principals were full of smiles.
Michelle Obama, dressed in a lemongrass-colored dress and coat, held Lincoln's Bible in her gloved hands. Obama was the first since the Civil War president to use the book to take the oath.
The highest caliber musicians entertained, including a collaboration between famed violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. As the music played, Obama closed his eyes, seemingly in reflection.
The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, sporting a striking gray hat with a massive bow studded with jewels, serenaded the incoming president with a rousing rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee."
Many in the crowd just below the outdoor Capitol Hill rostrum where Obama took the oath of office Tuesday wept as they saw the first African-American become US president.
The several hundred ticket holders, some of whom paid up to 50,000 dollars for the right to get up close to the swearing-in ceremony, included people with Capitol Hill connections, news reporters, and a smattering of celebrities.
Susan Manheimer of San Mateo, California, scored one of the coveted tickets by helping to bring to Washington an 89-year-old veteran of the all-black Tuskegee squadron of World War II flying aces. The aging veterans were all invited and given tickets, but not plane tickets or hotels for the event.
"Those men were in no small part responsible for helping break down racial barriers in this country," she said.
The veteran she sponsored, Leslie Williams, sat in a separate area reserved for winners of the Congressional medal of honor.
Louisa O'Neil saw civil rights leader Martin Luther King deliver his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in August 1963 at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.
"I remember it was so very hot that I fainted when King spoke," O'Neil, 59, told AFP. "And here today it's so very cold I'm in no danger of fainting. This is a bookend of the experience."
O'Neil sees Obama's election as "a manifestation of people's will," and proof that "genunine grass-roots movements can make a difference."
Celebrities more often seen in Hollywood than Washington included actor Denzel Washington. "I'm happy, I'm cold and I'm celebrating," said Washington, as he hugged fans for pictures. "We all have to be engaged, it's not just about the president."
Washington largely avoided reporters, but his wife Pauletta Pearson gushed about the moment. "I have never felt so excited, I couldn't even sleep last night," she said.
As his first act in office Pearson would like Obama to take a deep breath and savor the moment. "I want him to absorb the importance of this before he gets down to work," she said. "He certainly has plenty on his plate."
Other celebrities in the crowd included rap stars P. Diddy and Jay-Z, singer Beyonce, actors John Cusack and Tobey Maguire and electric-haired boxing promoter Don King.
