There'ês no doubt Barack Obama will be on time for his Inauguration but we'êre already way late. It'ês 5:30 a.m., we'êre walking out the door, and tens of thousands are already enroute to the mall. Or lining up at security checkpoints downtown. Which aren'êt supposed to open until 7.
A Washington Post blogger reports that the first Red Line Metro train rolled through the nearby Cleveland Park station shortly after 4 a.m. without stopping, since it was already jammed full. This confirms the family Inaugururation Day strategy that my wife and I have already set in place. We'êre walking. Five miles to our viewing spot on the Mall. There'ês no doubt we'êll step into a river of pedestrians headed the same way when we step out the door.
We'êve jammed oranges, bananas, and a couple of energy bars in our jackets, a camera and a small portable radio. No backback, no Thermos of coffee, no folding chair — all outlawed by the Secret Service. The temperature is 20 degrees, with a forecast of clouds and possible snow flurries. Lovely winer weather for a Chicago politician. Off we go.
