***(Editor’s Note:  Josh McGrath is a Columnist and Collegiate Commentator for “The Thirsty Quill.”  Josh is currently a student at Wingate University, but has been reporting for ‘The Quill’ from Washington, DC over the past few days. As always, we appreciate Josh’s commitment and service to “The Thirsty Quill.”)***

“Inauguration Update #10″

By: Josh McGrath, Columnist

By the time the announcer began to introduce the Senators, Governors, and countless other important individuals in the American political system, I had been standing up at the National Mall for about 6 hours. By that point, I couldn’t feel anything below my knees. My feet had gone completely numb. Everything in my body was telling me to make just enough room (out of the crowd of  2-3 million people) for me to sit down. However, I waded through the pain. During the time leading up to the Inauguration, my group huddled together like penguins in Antarctica trying to stay warm.

The Inauguration itself was incredible. The experience of being there was mind-blowing. Although I expected it, it was very upsetting to see and hear the crowd “boo” at President Bush, and his father. To make the situation worse, the crowd laughed when Vice President Chenney arrived in a wheel chair. On a day when thousands were calling for “unity,” their actions seemed to display quite the opposite.

It was very powerful for me to see nearly 2 million people on the National Mall waving American flags throughout the day. It showed me that despite these rough times, our country still means just as much to us as it did the day after 9/11, when patriotism was at its highest point for my generation.

As Obama was being sworn in, I could not stop thinking of George W. Bush. What was he feeling? What was he thinking? Was he ready to leave? I would later learn that right after the Inauguration, Bush borrowed Obama’s new plane for one last flight (which is custom), a flight back home to Texas.

The elegance of Obama’s Inaugural Address captivated everyone at the Mall. In my personal opinion, his speech was everything it needed to be. Obama’s alluded to the uphill battle that he is about to face with our war and economy. He also asked for help from each American to better the community around us. I noticed there are two things Obama has that Bush never did: cooperation and patience from everyone. I pray that Obama uses this wisely. As I said before, I do not want him to fail. If he fails, so does our country. But one thing that I learned from his speech, is that if we fail, if we don’t commit to bettering our community, he will ultimately fail as well.