By Stacey Patton:

Washington, D.C.

January 20, 2009

A once “skinny kid with a funny name” – Barack Hussein Obama – became the 44th American to take the presidential oath. He noted in his inaugural address that some of his predecessors have spoken the oath “during rising tides of prosperity and peace.” And other men, himself included, were sworn into office “amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.”

In the pre-dawn hours, thousands of people braced frigid temperatures and waited long hours in snaking lines, bringing with them a mix of uncertainty, hope, and a profound joy to stand with President Obama as he called for “a new era of responsibility.”

As early as 4 a.m., legions of people streamed out of metro stations and marched from all directions to secure a spot inside the National Mall or along the barricaded Pennsylvania Avenue parade route to bear witness to history. Others packed into restaurants, tiny bars, and churches that opened their doors to the public.

By late morning nearly a million spectators had crammed into the 2-mile area between the Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial under the guard of Secret Service agents, police officers, National Guard troops, bomb sniffing dogs, helicopters, and snipers perched on nearby roofs. Along the way, street vendors peddled Obama buttons, hand warmers, and miniature-sized U.S. flags.

It was a joyous day, one full of cheering, laughter, tears, singing, and a sea of diverse voices chanting “O-BA-MA!” and “Yes we did!” There was dancing and partying in streets. Old timers commented about how far we’ve come and how they never thought they’d see the day when a black man became president of the United States.

Amidst the outpouring of support and joy from the largest crowd ever to assemble for an inauguration, there was one striking moment of collective anger from the crowd. For those watching the ceremony on television or the Internet, that moment got drowned out by the playing of the brass band. And, the mainstream media, despite being deeply embedded all over the place, remained conspicuously silent about it.

As outgoing President George W. Bush, and other members of his family stepped onto the inaugural balcony, there were roaring boos, chants of “Bye bye Bush,” and “No more Bush.” Some waved shoes in the air and others sang “Na-na-na-na, hey, hey goodbye.”

The booing that washed over the National Mall cannot simply be chalked up as people behaving badly, as disrespect or incivility. Instead it sprang from a deep-seated disapproval many Americans have of Bush and his administration’s actions.

Recent statistics provide the context for the boos. A day before Obama’s historic inauguration, a CBS News/New York Times Poll reported that 75% of Americans think the country is off on the wrong track – the highest number ever recorded in the poll’s history. Bush leaves office with an approval rating of 29 percent, a historic low. The poll reported that 61 percent of Americans say the condition of the economy is bad – including one in five that say it is in very bad shape. Sixty-two percent say the economy is getting worse, not better.

These numbers, which mirror other polls, are accompanied by growing alarm over 2.6 million jobs lost over the past year, 11 million people currently out of work, a weakening housing market, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as rise tensions in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

President Obama’s speech highlighted these and other issues and included a firm rebuke of the Bush administration. The new president’s speech was a call for Americans to summon their better selves.

“With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come,” President Obama said at the close of his speech.

The image of our tight-lipped 43rd president leaving office with the lowest approval rating of any president, his injured vice president Dick Cheney in a wheelchair, and the crowd’s cold farewell, offered a striking piece of symbolism about the stewardship of a failed administration.

As the man who some members of the Republican party mocked for having been a community organizer prepared Americans to do the work of setting the country’s affairs in order, we also watched as our former vice president was rolled away and his commanding chief boarded a white Boeing 747 to take flight off to the judgment of history.