re: #408 stranded conservative

My personal take:

I was on the mall next to the Washington Monument watching on the Jumbotron.

Those who were cheered by the crowd:
Al Gore (big cheer)
Jimmy Carter (warm cheer)
Bill Clinton (cheers plus various remarks of respect for his sexual prowess (seriously!))
Hillary Clinton
Howard Dean (surprisingly big cheer)
Michelle
Melia and Sascha
Obama (every second he appeared on screen)

Those who were booed:
Joe Libermann (calls of “traitor” etc.)
Dick Cheney (boos plus laughter that he was in a wheelchair)
Clarence Thomas (not loud boos but a definite undertone of unhappy muttering)
George Bush (every second he appeared on the screen. Shameful!)

My response:
Loud cheers for all those who were being booed. (Unbelievably, I was the only person cheering Bush and Cheney among thousands of people in my immediate vecinity. Did all the Republicans stay home? Made my Democrat husband nervous but he stayed by me.)

Bright spot: High school student in front of me saying that no president deserved to be booed out of office on inauguration day.

Biggest wince from the crowd: the word “Jesus” in the prayer

Wow.