Locals savor Obama inauguration

By Stover E. Harger Iii

The South County Spotlight, Jan 21, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Getty Images / The South County Spotlight

President Barack Obama addresses the million-plus turnout at the National Mall on Tuesday to take the reins as the 44th U.S. president.

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WASHINGTON, DC — More than one million crammed onto the National Mall and stuffed streets and neighborhood restaurants in the nation’s capitol Tuesday morning to witness the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Despite shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, long-lines and face-stinging cold, the throng was in high spirits as people hooted and hollered for a new president who has energized so many with promises of hope and change.

The masses stretched from just in front of the U.S. Capitol, where a secured area held official ticket holders, to past the Washington Monument where the event was viewed on jumbo screens and Obama, himself, was just a speck in the distance.

Rep. Brad Witt of Clatskanie, seated within 150 yards of Obama and dressed in layers to ward off the cold, said after the ceremony that the president’s remarks resonated strongly with him, and that he was impressed with the well-mannered inaugural crowd.

Witt said he intends to carry Obama’s message back to Oregon.

“I think it’s critically important at the state level that we, too, begin to focus our attention on jobs, on the economy, on healthcare,” Witt said. “These are all packages that will not only stimulate the economy, but also can make a difference in people’s lives, not only in our district, but across the state.”

Oregon’s Get a Life Marching Band left Philadelphia, Penn., at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, and then they waited in a parking lot next to the Pentagon for five hours before being moved into the security area for processing.

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