By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
In case you missed it, huge chunks of D.C. are going to be shut down on January 20, including all of the bridges connecting Northern Virginia with Washington. My fellow Virginia residents are taking umbrage, but I have a broader question: Have we never inaugurated a new president before?
I've been to three of the last four presidential inaugurations and while the impossibility of crossing Pennsylvania Avenue (the parade route) is a nuisance, there was never before such a bring-the-city-to-a-grinding-halt mentality at work.
Yes, it's post-9/11, and yes, Obama is the first African-American president, and yes, millions are expected to descend upon the district. But the Secret Service and other local officials need to keep in mind that D.C. is not only the capital city but it also a city. Millions of people live in the D.C. metro area who will, on Tuesday, January 20, have jobs they need to get to and business they need to go about. The run-amok security types should keep them in mind too.
- Read more by Robert Schlesinger.
- Read more from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.
- Read more about the Inauguration.
Reader Comments Read all comments (10)
vdb 2:38PM January 12, 2009
vdb 2:35PM January 12, 2009
don of CA 1:19AM January 10, 2009