Shallow Reflections on the Inauguration, DC and So Forth — Page 5

I had Brand New Day from the WIZ running through my head all day watching the festivities.

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This morning I'm Dinah Washington singing, "What a Difference...a Day Makes."

http://tinyurl.com/8rfh7e

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ABC's Jake Tapper reports on the Obama girls' sleepover:

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Jonas Brothers Surprise First Tweens with White House Visit

January 21, 2009 7:48 AM

ABC News has learned that after their scavenger hunt last night, First Tweens Malia and Sasha Obama were paid a surprise White House visit by the Jonas Brothers.

The visit came after Malia, Sasha, and some of their friends from their new school Sidwell Friends saw two new Disney movies -- High School Musical 3 and Bolt -- and participated in a scavenger hunt in which they ran around their new home, learning about this history of the White House. White House ushers had organized a similar scavenger hunt for a young Chelsea Clinton when she first moved into the White House in 1993.

At the end of Malia and Sasha's scavenger late-night hunt, they opened a door to discover their favorite musical performers: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas -- the pop boy band sensation who first exploded on the Disney Channel and also appeared earlier this week at the Kids' Inaugural Concert.

Jonas Brothers Surprise First Tweens with White House Visit

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Updated On: 1/21/09 at 08:52 AM

You never saw "Miss Saigon"?

Well Reg, this was a different helicopter.

And yes, I did see Miss Saigon. (4times) But I don't remember cheering when the helicopter lifted off. Cried, yes, but cheered, not so much.

Miss P, that picture of Babs leaving President Bush to fend for himself is priceless. There are so many captions you can put with that photo.

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I think it's an unfair assessment of the Bush photo to say that somehow Mrs. Bush doesn't care about her husband because she wasn't walking by his side. Look at the hallway in the photo - it's narrow. Bill Clinton had already taken 41's arm (in a charming scene). Where did you want her to stand? Her walking ahead of the two was no more indicative of carelessness than Senator Clinton's following behind was indicative of being submissive.

These are "shallow" reflections, guys!

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Wonderful article about Michelle Obama's fashion picks in today's Washington Post. Excerpt below, followed by link to full article.

All Hail the Leader of the Fashionable World
By Robin Givhan, Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Few first ladies have caused as much breathless anticipation for their Inauguration Day wardrobes as Michelle Obama. But soon after she stepped onto the national stage as the candidate's wife, Obama was elevated to a fashion star whose tastes ran from high-end designers to mass marketer H&M. She had the impressive height of a runway model, the figure of a real woman -- a size 12 according to one fashion publicist -- and took an admitted delight in looking "pretty."

For the historic moment when she became this country's first African American first lady, Obama chose a lemon-grass yellow, metallic sheath with a matching coat by the Cuban-born designer Isabel Toledo. The dress followed her curves -- paying special attention to the hips -- and announced that the era of first lady-as-rectangle had ended. It signaled a generational shift in what women could be on the national stage. They could boldly embrace color and reveal their power, their femininity and their legs.

Recent first ladies seem to have tried -- at least during the first term -- to hold on to the idea of normalcy, no matter that they are living in the White House with staff, security and the albatross of history. At their husbands' first inaugurations, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush wore uninspired clothes that seemed to make a case against the women's being unique.

Obama's mere presence on the Capitol steps yesterday was an anomaly -- and her clothes celebrated that. Her coat and dress made her look exceptional -- and vaguely regal -- as she stood holding Lincoln's cranberry-hued Bible in her gloved hand as her husband took the oath of office. Her daughters, Malia in a grape-colored coat and black tights and Sasha in pale pink and tangerine, were like her little ladies-in-waiting. President Obama, he was the somber one, in his dark overcoat with a tiny flag pin, his white shirt, red tie and his face tilted ever so slightly to the sky.
Robin Givhan On Culture: Michelle Obama

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Their surprise appearance at the slumber party was the PERFECT ending to the day.

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