It was truly stirring to be in Washington DC on the national mall during the inauguration. No matter what your politics, it’s difficult to not be moved by the presence of so many people who want the best for their country. Read more
There were lots of ways to make it to the inauguration festivities. You could brave the crowds on the metro. You could take one of the eerily empty buses heading downtown. It took ten minutes to drive across town, since cars were scared from the roads. Entire families bundled up to cycle on the trails to the national mall. Read more
President Kennedy once famously declared Washington, DC a city of “Southern efficiency and Northern charm.” Something happened the last few days. Despite the crowds, people have not only been amazingly civil, but outright friendly—strangers strike up conversations, locals take the time to point out-of-towners in the right direction. I’d be happy if this relaxed courtesy courteous lingered but I suspect it might be due to the influx of people from more polite locations—not to mention what I’ve observed to be the euphoria-inducing effects of Obama-mania. Read more
The New York Times, which has the kind of web tools that some of us can only dream about, published a couple of days ago an interactive feature called “”https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/15/us/politics/20090115_HOPE.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink”>I hope so, too”. The newspaper asked 200 people to state their greatest hopes for what Barack Obama might accomplish during his presidency, and then invited readers to choose the hopes they agree with. Read more
Here in Washington DC, a heavily Democratic city, there was undeniably a sense of jubilation on the streets after the election, such as this spontaneous celebration at 14th and U. And yesterday while I cycled home I saw something rare in front of the white house: a street musician. Read more
Some of you may have already seen it, but I would encourage to have a look at the excellent special news section on the 2008 US election that my colleagues Roxanne Khamsi, Coco Ballantyne and Charlotte Schubert put together for our October issue. It’s great stuff and a perfect complement to the related special that Nature published several weeks ago. Read more
As Sarah Palin and Joe Biden face off tonight in the vice presidential debates many voters will be assessing whether they can trust either one to step into the oval office should the president become incapacitated or die. Read more
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