"The Audacity to Dream: Hail to the Chief!"

The Barack Obama Story is the kind of unbelievable journey that were it a book, you would instinctively declare it fiction. Of course as you know, there are already two books, The Audacity of Hope, and Dreams from My Father; almost certainly, others will follow. Undoubtedly, clinching the Democratic Primary, winning the General Election, and the pomp and circumstance of the biggest Presidential Inaugural ever will inspire their own written depictions, perhaps even mini-series and/or movies.

But before I continue, I must pause to note for the record, that despite all the attention on the Inaugural and President Obama, for at least one group of 155 persons and their families and close personal friends, there is a story much bigger, personal, and even pertinent, than the Inauguration. In fact, had it occurred almost any other time it would have been my featured conversation.

Last Thursday afternoon, US Airways Flight 1549, scheduled to fly from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, roughly 5 minutes after take-off. In what is understandably being hailed as the Miracle on the Hudson, all 155 people aboard the plane survived. Without a doubt, this is a feel-good story for the ages, and the Captain, Chesley “Sully” Sullenburger, III, his co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles, and the entire Flight Crew deserve mega-kudos for exemplifying grace under extreme pressure.

The immediate cause of the near disaster is thought to be a bird strike, which in aeronautics parlance means one or more birds flew or were sucked into the engine compartment. In a related development it is worth noting that a passenger on the same flight, on the same plane, just two days earlier reported hearing a loud sound that caused a commotion among the passengers and flight crew. It will be interesting to see what is revealed by the ensuing investigation.

Captain Sullenburger and the flight crew’s performance under duress should be heralded as noteworthy, no matter what else is determined. But if U.S. Airways is found to have acted irresponsibly, by failing to act on information that could have averted this event, the range and impact of consequences could be broad and severe.

Now, back to regular programming…or at least my original point; let us note the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. Yesterday, Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr., formally issued in a new era of the American Presidency when he administered the Oath of Office to former Senator Barrack Hussein Obama.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senior Senator from California, opened, and orchestrated the Inaugural’s proceedings. She began with a brief, but powerful statement that set the stage for and framed, aptly, the ceremony Americans use to peacefully transfer Executive power every four years. It was almost Obamaesque.

The Reverend Rick Warren, the evangelical Senior Pastor of the Saddleback mega-church in Lake Forest, California, gave the Invocation. While his inclusion on the program was controversial, and largely opposed by many from the Gay-Rights community, his comments were largely inclusive, though certainly not brief.

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, sang a stirring rendition of “My Country Tis of Thee,” followed by Associate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the longest tenured member of the High Court, administering the Oath of Office to Vice President Joe Biden.

The event, while scheduled to the minute, fell behind fairly earl. As a result, at noon, the TV viewing audience was advised that by law, Barack Obama had become President at 12 o’clock, even though he had not received the Oath of Office.

Noted composer John Williams created a special classical composition for the Inauguration. A quartet featuring Cellist, Yo-yo Ma, Violinist, Itzhak Perlman, Clarinetist, Anthony McGill, and Pianist, Gabriella Montero performed the piece, called “Air.”

Then, at the moment millions in person, and perhaps billions watching around the world witnessed as Chief Justice Roberts caused confusion, momentarily, when he stumbled over the wording in of the 39-word Presidential Oath, misplacing the word faithfully. Ironically, Obama had created a stir of his own, earlier, when he indicated he wanted the words “so help me God” added to the end of the Oath. A lawsuit brought by Michael Newdow, an atheist, attempted to prevent Obama from using the phrase. There was no indication that any problems ensued from using the Bible Lincoln was sworn in with.

Political mythology holds that George Washington added the phrase, and that it has been used by Presidents ever since. However, based upon recent historical research, it is not verifiable that Washington used the phrase at all, and equally unclear how many other Presidents did. Nevertheless, the suit did not prevail. The inclusion of the first 35 words of the Oath was not in question, as they are written into the Constitution.

There is no tradition that limits the length of the Inaugural Address. The shortest, only 135 words, was Washington's second. The longest, by William Henry Harrison, had 8,578 words and took nearly two hours. In a macho performance, Harrison wore neither hat nor coat despite miserable weather. He caught a cold that became pneumonia and died 30 days later.

In just 18 minutes, President Obama underscored the prevailing crises, gave fair warning to America’s enemies, comforted our friends, and provided confident assurance that we will meet the challenges before us. Perhaps most importantly he emphatically announced, “America is again ready to lead!” He was firm, and flexible, at once. He made it clear the time for excuses is past; the time for accountability here. I think he made his point…in less than 20 minutes.

Unquestionably, the person with the toughest job of the day was Yale Professor, and First Poet, Elizabeth Alexander. She was charged with following the President, and keeping the attention of nearly two million people now waiting for nothing more than the Benediction before moving to the Parade Route, lunch, or whatever came next. She offered a poem called "Praise Song for the Day," and not surprisingly, it was met with mixed reactions, as many headed for the exits. Yet it also played to critical acclaim from at least one national publication.

As Pastor Rick Warren’s Invocation ushered in one aspect of the Ecclesiastical Diaspora, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery’s Benediction, infused by excerpts from James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing (familiarly known as The Negro National Anthem),” powerfully personified another segment; but so did his less well-known adaptation of the words that great Negro poet, Dolemite!

Let us be clear; with all the talk of the vigor virtue, and values of Barack Hussein Obama, it may seem as though the man and his legend were born, cultivated, and developed in a vacuum. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. He knows, and we must realize and pay homage to the fact President Obama has scaled prodigious heights, not only because of his own industriousness, intellect, and ambition, but also because he has been able to get a leg up from and stand on the broad and strong shoulders of his predecessors.

This is a more nuanced truth than we sometimes want to concede. When we think of Obama’s influences, Isabella Baumfree (Sojourner Truth), Araminta Ross (Harriet Tubman), Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (Frederick Douglass), Michael King, Jr. (the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), and the like spring to mind. But Obama is a product of cultural blending, and as a result, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, Stanley Ann Dunham, and Barack Obama, Sr., his maternal grandparents, and parents, must also enter the equation. Those are simply the facts; if you have a problem with that, get over it!

Instead, focus on Barack Obama’s relentless drive to bring harmony and completion to these diverse elements and others, but also the willingness of parties that often disagree, historically, to at least engage in discourse that provides hope for a future both different and improved from the past. Because of his “Audacity to Dream,” we can all say, “Hail to the Chief!”

Finally, it must also be said, Barack Obama's rise to the Presiency "IS NOT" the culmination of Dr. King's Dream, nor the fulfillment of the promise of his legacy. To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, and Robert Frost, respectively, "it is one giant step in the right direction, for mankind;" But, "we have miles to go before we sleep!"

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday.

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=309543

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1872715,00.html?imw=Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcGMHjb1W5k

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/obama.inauguration/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/obama.speech/index.html?iref=topnews

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/news/transition.to.power/

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/first.100.days/

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090120_Inaugural_facts_you_likely_didn_t_know.html

http://www.wowowow.com/post/diane-feinsteins-inaugural-remarks-astound-179736?promo=news

http://www.yo-yoma.com/news/yo-yo-ma-perform-new-john-williams-composition-air-and-simple-gifts-president-elect-barack-obam

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/16/eveningnews/main4728539.shtml

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2009/01/we_interrupt_our_coverage_of.html

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-na-inaug-poet21-2009jan21,0,4441616.story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Warren

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-Yo_Ma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itzhak_Perlman

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/inauguration/1383882,SHO-Sunday-mcgill18.article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela_Montero

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Roberts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

http://www.elizabethalexander.net/home.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lowery

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872796,00.html?iid=tsmodule

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1124682/Congratulations-Mr-President-Two-million-watch-Obama-oath-Americas-black-commander-chief.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/20/AR2009012001146.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.examiner.com/a-1805267~Roberts_stumbles_slightly_over_presidential_oath.html

http://www.newsweek.com/id/179712

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,480108,00.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/19/america/19blackbox.php

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/19/hudson.plane.folo/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolemite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.