First-hand look
Student recaps Inauguration details

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of three articles documenting the reporter’s personal experience during the days leading up to the Presidential Inauguration.

By Melissa DeLoach
Senior Reporter

WASHINGTON — As the last balloon dropped at the Republican National Convention in August, I told myself that this wouldn’t be my last convention to attend. Saturday I said the same thing as I stood in the mud with tens of thousands of people watching George W. Bush be sworn into office as the 43rd President of the United States.

Special to the Skiff (From left to right) Vice president Dick Cheney, Lynne Cheney, first lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush wave to the crowd Thursday at The Inaugural Opening Celebration in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Something about political events excites me. I can’t pinpoint what it is that draws my attention or what somebody says that inspires me. The patriotic spirit present at the Inauguration is enough to make anyone apathetic about our country reevaluate their mindset. For a brief moment, you’re able to see people come together, despite their differences, and celebrate our country — together.

The Inauguration was a time for President Bush to reach out to those who didn’t vote for him and ask for their support.
And he did.

Quite a number of Democrats traveled to Washington, D.C., to be a part of this historic event. One man from Florida’s much-talked-about Palm Beach County told me that even though the person he voted for didn’t win, he came anyway because Bush is the president now.

“We must accept the results and move forward,” he said. “For our country to succeed, we need to support the president, and he is Bush; not Clinton, not Gore.”

There is a major difference between seeing history happen and being a part of history. This election is no doubt a historical milestone that will be remembered for years to come. Yet Saturday’s events seem very surreal. It’s hard to refer to Bush as President of the United States of America after calling him Governor, Republican Presidential Nominee, “Dubya” and president-elect.

It’s like forgetting that this is the year 2001 and not 2000 anymore. I vaguely remember his father as president other than what history dictates or what Dana Carvey of Saturday Night Live portrayed him as. My most recent memory of a president is Clinton. He is the only past president whose face I can match with the office of the president.

But more likely, my uncertainties come from witnessing first-hand this historic event. Frankly, there is a big difference between watching an event like an Inauguration on television and actually being there to cover it. My challenge is that I am a college student, and I don’t work for a major network or news organization. But I learned to work the system.

As soon as I came back from Philadelphia and the convention, I picked up the phone and began a four-month process of planning my attendance at the Inauguration. During this period, I invited my 82-year-old grandfather to come with me. He had not been to an inauguration before either. After dozens of phone calls each day, we received word a week before we were to leave.

The result: credentials to the opening ceremony, the Laura Bush salute to authors, the Inauguration ceremonies and the Texas and Wyoming Inaugural Ball.

Not bad for a college student. I didn’t expect to get this far, but I am persistent, from Texas and don’t take no for an answer.

Melissa DeLoach
m.d.deloach@student.tcu.edu.