News Nuggets 83

Folks in Nairobi, Kenya watching the inauguration.

Erasing Bush (Michael HIrsh) from Newsweek

"After Inauguration Day, departed presidents usually become footnotes pretty quickly. What we are witnessing now is far more dramatic. It's closer to a liquidation, or a cauterization. George W. Bush is being turned into an unperson, like a character out of Orwell."

More Than Charisma (Bob Herbert) from the New York Times

"We’ve been watching that something this week, and it’s called leadership. Mr. Obama has been feeding the almost desperate hunger in this country for mature leadership, for someone who is not reckless and clownish, shortsighted and self-absorbed."

The Story Behind the Clothes-in-the-Bag Story (David Frum) from New Majority.com

This is one of the first conservative commentators I've seen who is even getting close to diagnosing some of the numerous ills of the GOP.

"Our party has been crippled by an all-pervading assumption at the center that if you just don’t talk about bad news, it will go away: whether it’s an extravagant wardrobe decision - or a bad job creation record. Our leaders cocoon themselves, refuse to hear unwelcome news, and reward yesmanship."

Teacher on a World Stage (Jim Hoagland) from the Washington Post

"The world's leadership club has welcomed President Barack Obama with a mixture of hope and wariness. It's been a while since members of this club have had to deal with an American leader who may be more popular with their publics than they are."

A Presidential Spring in my Son's Step from the Washington Post

"For my son, the issue is fatherlessness. Not having a father has been an impediment to "fitting in.""

'Soirees' Across Paris Celebrate Inauguration from Liberation, [of France in English]

"In Paris, too, we celebrated the inauguration of American President Obama. Several soirees were held in all four corners of the capital, in very different styles."

One President, Two Americas (Charlie Cook) from the National Journal

"There is an America that watched with hope and excitement as Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th president of the United States. And there is an America that watched with dread and skepticism."

The Making of a First Lady from Chicago Magazine

"She’s confident and levelheaded, and she carries the nurturing legacy of a close-knit South Shore family, an experience she wanted to re-create in her own home. After years of resenting her husband’s political career, Michelle Obama found her voice and flashed her style on the road to the White House."

Off to a Good Start on Change America Needs from the Miami Herald Editorial Board

"Most Americans do not expect -- or want -- their president to act like Captain Picard of Star Trek, who could impose his will with a simple command -- Make it so! -- but elections do have consequences. Mr. Obama's decisions show his intent to deliver on promises made on the campaign trail. His convincing victory at the polls reflects the popular support behind these measures."

Meet the Lawyers (Ben Smith) from Politico

"President Barack Obama is staffing his Justice Department with some of his predecessor’s fiercest critics, among them lawyers who were fired by President Bush or who quit jobs working for his administration."

Obama has a Way of Steering Clear of Trouble from the Rock Hill Herald [of South Carolina]

"Barack Obama has demonstrated an uncanny aptitude for putting the lid on potential trouble and keeping it from blowing up in his face."

Obama Restores Some of the 'Freedom' to FOIA from the McClatchy News Service

"As one of his first acts, President Barack Obama issued an order reversing his predecessor's approach toward the release of government documents. Scholars, journalists, farmers and the simply curious now await the reopening of federal information taps tightened since 2001."

VIDEO NUGGET!

A correspondent from the Guardian of London shows his trip to the inauguration.  Very interesting and inspiring!