Although credentialed by the Chicago Daily Observer, Common sense told
me not to leave the warmth of Miami and savor the inauguration here.  I
talked to at least thirty people who were there in situ including
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, Illinois Comptroller Dan
Hynes, History professor and  Mario Cuomo biographer  Robert McElvaine,
scholar Michael Aktipis, and United airlines honcho Calinata LaGuerre.

From these on site comments I can say what anyone who watched could
say: this was the largest gathering of people in any one place at any
time in world history.  Not just DC, not just an Inauguration, not just
a celebration, not just America. Even the third best writer in the
English language, Thomas F. Roeser was privately bowled over by the
throng.  And to deal with all matters negative even the dictator and
most evil man in history Adolph Hitler ever assembled such a crowd. And
it had probably the largest television and radio audience in history -
more than 2 billion.

My first live Inauguration was in 1957, where as a U.S. Page appointed
by the late great Paul Douglas, I had the distinct honor of escorting
both Herbert Hoover and Pearl (Pearlie Mae) Bailey to their seats.  This
was four and a half years before Barack Obama was born.

I think Barack, excuse me, Mr. President deliberately did not attempt to
upstage Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan or Kennedy, but his phrase about
extending our hands to those who unclench their fists was a very
important statement that will have even greater significance than the
memorable Kennedy-Sorensen line, “ask not what your country can do for
you…”  That the President took his oath under his full name Barack
Hussein Obama and said the word ‘Muslim’ for the very first time in any
inaugural address will also mean a great deal in winning the hearts and
minds of the predominant majority of 25% of the world’s population which
practices in one degree or another the Islamic faith.

Obama’s accomplishments will be more of spirit, soul and symbolism in
his first term, the second term will reveal the substance that emanates
from these three.  Do not be surprised if John McCain runs against him
again, this time as a ‘sparring partner’ not a legitimate contender.
The Republicans will be gearing up to run against Hillary Clinton in
2016 (whose running mate could be Beau Biden, Bob Casey or Mark Warner.
After all, Jefferson was Washington’s Secretary of State and Madison was
Jefferson’s, so there is ample if ancient precedence.  Plus Joe Biden
will be in his 70′s in 2016 and would much prefer helping to advance his
son’s career.  And don’t discount the possibility that Hillary and Joe
might ‘castle’ in 2012, she running for Vice-President and Biden serving
as Secretary of State  (all of this directed by Oliver Stone, starring
Denzel Washington as President Obama (why else was he so closely
watching every aspect of the Inauguration in person, even arriving early
to secure his seats — and the turnaround would be appropriate, Obama
quoting President Washington, actor Washington portraying Obama).  For
Hillary, either Meryl Streep, Glen Close or even Sharon Stone, and for
Joe Biden, Harrison Ford — who supposedly will play me in the movie,
“My Lunch with Barack”.

I envy Rahm and David who are working 24/7 but must be having great
fun.  And here are a few public ideas for them.

It used to be that sending someone to the Court of St. James was a
payoff to a wealthy contributor, someone who could use a lot of personal
money for entertaining.  Well, its time to send people who can advance
our country’s interests and best represent the president and give them
an appropriate entertainment budget relative to the size and importance
of the country.

If I were President Obama I would appoint Carol Moseley Braun to the
Court of St. James (the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland).  Despite her bumps while a U.S. Senator, all minor
and most cleared up in her favor, she was the most successful U.S.
Ambassador to New Zealand we ever sent, and if  you don’t believe me ask
New Zealand’s senior statesman, 85 year old Hon. Rob Talbot, former
member of the New Zealand parliament, successful farmer and his nation’s
former Minister of Tourism and Postmaster General. Former Sen. Braun
only lost to Peter Fitzgerald by less than 100,000 votes and she was
later confirmed as Ambassador by a vote of 98-2.  She is a good friend
of Hillary’s and the rest of the Senators having served in that body,
and had she decided to run for the Senate in 2004 (instead of running
for President where she deprived Al Sharpton of being the only
African-American on the stage, a tactic no one has ever apparently
noticed or written about) Barack would not have been able to.

And for Ambassador to France there is one clear choice: Teresa Heinz
Kerry, wife of John Kerry.  She is fluent in five languages: English,
French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and can muddle in German.
There are many people who set the stage and were rungs on the ladder for
Barack Obama to have arrived at where he is today, but no one can deny
that one  of the seminal, if not the key ingredient in his meteoric rise
was John Kerry’s invitation to have Barack Obama deliver the keynote
address in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention.  More
importantly, Teresa Heinz is a briliant person in her own right.

And for those who think it would be a conflict to have an Ambassador
being married to the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I
would remind everyone that Sen. McConnell’s wife served as President
George W. Bush’s Secretary of Labor and Bobby Kennedy served as his
brother’s choice for Attorney General. So no problem there.

So Mr. President, these would be two great appointments and all the
people who think they deserve them and the hundreds more who want them
will not be able to argue with this logic. I am sure you have already
thought of them, so I only take credit for first mentioning what
is probably on your mind.  And after Ambassador Moseley-Braun completes
two years or so as Ambassador your next choice could be the one and only
Oprah whose contract for her TV show terminates in 2010-11, her Silver
(25th) Anniversary.  Ironically, the name of the U.S. Am,bassador’s
residence in London is Winfield House; after she redoes it, it will be
known as Winfield-Winfrey house.  This is, then, truly a Win-Win suggestion.

In Conclusion: A Memo to Governor Paterson of New York.

Sir, as the accidental governor (due to Spitzer’s resignation) you
should appoint Caroline Kennedy even though she has withdrawn from
consideration, thereby allowing her to share perhaps just once, a moment
on the Senate floor with her Uncle Ted, or at least to have him know she
was chosen.  She would be your best running mate in 2010.  If you don’t
appoint Caroline,I suggest you  choose one of two lions of American
politics who live and vote in New York: either Mario Cuomo or Ted
Sorensen, allowing the 2010 Senate race open to a newcomer such as
Andrew Cuomo or Carolyn Maloney.  These are the strategies in your best
interest.  Please send me a $10,000 check from your political
account for my professional advice.

So while I couldn’t be in DC for the Inauguration, I can tell the
readership what everyone else has said: those who were there thought it
be memorable.  I thought it memorable just to be alive and witness it
(the pesky liver cancer not yet having done me in, Hallelujah, thank the
Lord and the prayers of Rosalie Clark, Susan Lock, Dorothy Brown, Rev.
Tim Safford and Rev. Otis Moss III and many others, as well as the more
than deserved and loving care provided by wife Joan and son James).

By the way, the Inauguration was celebrated around the world in every
time zone.  I had emails from China, Australia and Indonesia, and in
Prague, the restaurant Jama had to turn away more pople than they could
allow in to celebrate the inauguration (starting at 5 pm).  By the way
Jama is owned by the American Max Munson who lives in Prague with, son
of Chicago lawyers Judy and Lester, he the Sports Illustrated editor,
she the public health policy expert).

To sum up in the words of our beloved Illinois Supreme Court Justice
Anne Burke, “for Ed, Travis and myself, for everyone who was there or
who watched it on television or even heard it on radio, it was a day to
remember for ever.”  From my warm and sunny seat on a balcony in Miami
Beach, I concur.

**
Phil Krone is a special correspondent for the Chicago Daily Observer