What you were doing when?

Today is Inauguration Day. I watched the coverage on CBS in the packed cafeteria of my school. People roared, cried, clapped, and laughed. And I with them. I even teared up when Joe Biden took his oath of office. The emotion was overwhelming when Obama took his. There is a strange contradiction of feeling in the air today, as if this momentous occasion contains both weight and buoyancy. As if you were about to be devoured by slavering demons but then woke up - relieved to find you were dreaming - but then realized you have a terrible hangover and Dick Cheney is sleeping next to you, naked and spooning.

As of today, we kick Cheney out of bed, out of our homes. We drink some water. We take some aspirin. We will have a nice healthy breakfast.   Our hangovers will vanish.  We clean up the vomit and broken bottles, the detritus of irresponsibility and excess.  We have challenges ahead and we swear, we take a solemn oath that we are never going to put ourselves in this situation again.

Good luck, President Obama.  You are going to need it.