Americans

[GONNAFISTYA]

Actually - in that case - if I were you I would worry about the precedent it sets.

The war mongering elitists hell bent on world domination would prefer it that you wouldn't.

[YourGrandpa]

Since no president has been convicted and jailed for any crime, I'd have to guess that Bush isn't going to be the first.

[tnf]

The United States has prosecuted its own for waterboarding before. We should be a bit concerned as a nation if the laws governing torture are so easily cast aside or that being president makes you immune to the law (I guess Nixon thought it did - "Its not illegal if the president does it" or however he said it).
They won't be convicted, of course.

[Captain]

Well I can almost positively tell you that a Bush conviction of "War Crimes" isn't going to happen. So if that is what it's going to take to change your perception of Americans, you might as well call us all fucking no good, war mongering elitists, hell bent on world domination and be done with us.

Retards, sure. Elitists? Fuck no

[YourGrandpa]

The entire civilized world seems to glorify celebrity. For some reason people harbor a belief that famous = better. That state of mind is displayed in more ways than one. The "death threads" around here are a good example of that odd connection we have with famous people. Why does a person you don't know or ever met, cause you to display a real sense of emotion? You don't care if Joe Blow down the street dies of natural causes. But somehow a celebrity is different? Unfortunately, similar things happen in the justice system.

[fKd]

if that confuses you then well... yeah good luck bud. the connection is based on enjoying something these people have done, art/film/music whatever.. it may not be a traditional connection, but its a connection non the less..

[YourGrandpa]

Retards, sure. Elitists? Fuck no

Try not to let the big people conversation confuse you.

[YourGrandpa]

if that confuses you then well... yeah good luck bud. the connection is based on enjoying something these people have done, art/film/music whatever.. it may not be a traditional connection, but its a connection non the less..

It doesn't confuse me, Bud. Nor did I say there was anything wrong with admiring someone's accomplishments. It's the absurd pedestals that we place celebrities on that I'm talking about.

[Peenyuh]

[Therac-25]

Lastly, given the choices we had, I don't see what else we really could have done that would have been better (some people's ideal candidate might have been Nader but he didn't have a better chance than me at winning). I'm surprised at how bitter some people still are at the Obama choice - or still so angry with the US that no realistic action could ever be undertaken to change the steady flow of criticism. As a candidate he represented a break from the prior administration (significant break in some areas, not so significant in others, but a break nonetheless). The frustration over the last 8 years has been enough. For my own psyche its time to put a bit of the cynicism aside and see what happens. No election will represent a panacea, so for now I'll have to be satisfied with even baby steps towards something different instead of going through a point by point list of everything where Obama isn't different enough and focusing on that. There will be plenty of time for that in the future.

I want to comment on this, but I'd feel bad about flaunting my cynicism. Needless to say, I wish I shared your optimism.

The kind of thing that bothers me the most about my Canadian friends telling me how awesome and progressive Obama is -- and believe me, stories about him have been in every paper and on every radio station around here this week -- is that people are still in the phase where he represents "good" to them. Whatever "good" means to any given person. So the anti-war people love him, despite the fact he's a hawk, (some) socialists like him, despite the fact everything he's proposed is far right of what actually goes on here, etc, etc. It gets tiring to see people buy into brand loyalty.

[tnf]

Give the brand loyalists who aren't going to look into things at the level we do a bit of a break. Under Bush many of them have been marginalized, lost jobs, lost healthcare for their kids (like when Bush vetoed the big expansion of kids healthcare), etc. Their brand loyalty to the guy who has a history of working with the more or less downtrodden (for example back as a community organizer) is expected.

Perhaps they are idealistic, but let the have their cake and eat it too for the moment. God knows they've earned it.

[werldhed]

"Hope"
"Change"

Change what? His foreign policies are similar to Bush's and he's a loyal friend to Israel and its lobbyists within the US government.

What exactly is different?

Yeah, because foreign policy is the only administrative policy that matters to Americans.
There is a lot of shit right here in our own country that Bush fucked up, and the chance to turn it around is a good thing.

...America seems to DEMAND that rest of the world respect them again and obviously gets miffed when people don't fall in line and suck their collective cock....

I'm going to have to agree with the others here when I say that maybe you need some new correspondents. I don't know anyone who demands respect because of Obama. Quite the opposite: most people I talk to realize our reputation is shit, and hope that Obama can do something to turn it around. It sounds to me like you're just trying to find more things to be upset about. Remember that it wasn't just Obama we elected -- we also turned around control of congress. What did you want us to do? Vote for McCain?

[DRuM]

Watching it now. I wonder how many KFC stalls have been set up.

[Fender]

Well... it is official.
gl Mr. President

[DRuM]

Rofl, train wreck when he couldn't even remember the line he had to say and it was repeated to him. O'Bummer.

[Fender]

Actually, he was correct, the idiot "reading" it to him fucked up.

[werldhed]

Not a bad speech. Nothing astonishing, but at least it didn't suck.

I like how the BBC zoomed specifically in on Bush's face when Obama was saying something about the mess in Iraq.

[GONNAFISTYA]

It was a good speech and I had to lol when Bush was flying away in the helicopter...everyone was singing "Na na na na Goodbye".

[DRuM]

Aretha Franklin sang the melody from 'god save our queen'.

[werldhed]

"God Save the Queen" and "America (My Country 'tis of Thee)" have the same music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country,_%27Tis_of_Thee

[QuakeThane]

Nothings changing in Foreign Policy. We are still gonna kick the crap outta the brown people, and take over all you stupid little punk countried like sweden denmark etc... Next is to take out IRAN and N.Korea. There will be WW3, there is no escape! I cant wait so then I can start Quake for Real!!!

[QuakeThane]

Oh and BOW DOWN white man LOL!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

Hey horka. You finally win something. I'm officially awarding you the title, Weakest Troll of Quake3world.

[Maiden]

glad bush and co. are gone? oh hell yes.

full of hope and change? more like wait and see.

but I think flavor flav put it best when he said..

"we got a black quaterback, so step back"

[DRuM]

Actually, he was correct, the idiot "reading" it to him fucked up.

Yep, you're right. I watched it back. This is how it's meant to go:

http://www.thedctraveler.com/inaugurati ... of-office/

'Barak Obama will repeat the words of the Presidential Oath of Office as he is sworn in.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States [so help me God - optional]. "

Chief of justice got one word wrong and one word in the wrong place : "that I will execute the Office of President to the United States faithfully"

Presumably obama had memorised it perfectly and this threw him, which is fair enough. As the chief of justice repeated it, he fuddled the words further and obama then repeated the words back in the order the chief of justice said them, even though it was still technically incorrect.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4