Inauguration -- Live Blog -- Part IV

2:55p.m. -- This parade isn't that interesting. The Obama's are in a car. It is moving slowly. People are cheering and taking pictures and waving flags. The moment today was his speech... but stay with me to see what continues to transpire.

2:46p.m. -- Every person the reporters interview in the crowd is black and they ask them their name, where they're from, and if they'd ever live to see the day of a black President. And Al Roker went insane... I think... he just said that he won't crack. Um Okay.

2:36p.m. -- It looks as if Obama will not be walking... just a slow not even 5mph roll down Penn Ave. Lots of cheers but that's about it...

2:34p.m. -- The parade has finally started... I think...

2:26p.m. -- Brian Williams with the line of the day:
"I imagine President Obama was jonesing for a piece of nicorette gum after that lunch."

2:19p.m. -- Parade starting, the military guys are saluting Obama as they walk/march by. Pretty cool.

2:15p.m. -- So this isn't Inauguration coverage any more... this is Ted Kennedy coverage. But let's compare this to Sunday night when Willis McGhee was almost killed in the AFC Championship Game.

NFL: Players immediately gather around, many start praying, a hush comes over the crowd (however, P.A. is blaring CCR for some reason), get away from the player and let the medical staff take care of everything, hold hands with fellow players in prayer, look concerned but with a relief that it isn't you that was almost killed, once the player is put on the stretcher go over and give him a affectionate touch on the shoulder, then on the first play after the hit everyone goes at about 10% speed of the previous play.

D.C.: Finish lunch, go get coat, talk to media in a somber voice, pretend you really really care and are worried, praise the staff and security, keep Kennedy in your prayers, act like you don't know anything but say that everyone was very helpful, act like you don't want to talk to the media but never walk away from the camera, mention how bittersweet this moment is.

2:07p.m. -- Sen. Kennedy's emergency has got the TV Heads talking again... these guys love this stuff just so they can drop some personal anecdotes about Ted Kennedy. BTW, only in D.C. would people react so ho-hum, did you hear about Kennedy, what a bizarre town. It's like L.A. only more important and even flakier—for example I would assume that 79% of the people at this lunch will not tip the coat check.

This is just crazy. Byrd apparently might have had an emergency too but no one knows.

1:57p.m. -- Byrd is fine. It's Sen. Ted Kennedy who got sick or had some sort of medical emergency, just to clear up the 1:46p.m. update. I'm sure the news sites will have something on that sooner rather than later. The NBC reporter, Kelly something, keeps saying Obama had nothing to do with this... NO SHIT. Stop trying to blame the black man!

1:55p.m. -- Obama gives the it's not about me stuff... but I'm wondering this: Where is Blago? Is he in Springfield? Watching this on the Northwest side of Chicago? Would you be shocked to see him in the crowd along the parade route? Is there a chance that he's trying to crash one of these events tonight? And you know what? I'm rooting for Blago to some how cause a scene today...

1:51p.m. -- Obama is speaking now. He drops Teddy, but NBC just said Byrd was the one who got sick. So I don't know what's going on. Then Barack gives a shout out to the wait service, a nice touch. This has been a long day and it's about 25% of the way over.

1:46p.m. -- NBC is showing this lunch and they're giving Obama a crystal bowl. It isn't interesting. At all. I think they should start talking about if Obama is going to be a post-modern President or if he's to be the first President who fully understands irony and the Ironic Age we live in. After all, Obama did call out cynics today... (and TPB didn't feel at all bad or guilty).

And now Harry Reid, officially the Dumbest Man in D.C., as of this second is giving a speech. They are interrupting his speech to report... Sen. Byrd had a medical emergency and they don't know the details. Obama was not involved. Apparently, everyone blamed the only black man in the room...

1:29p.m. -- Today is D.C.'s day to shine and I've got to say... they don't do that good of a job do they? Everything looks nice, but D.C., being D.C., nothing looks all that genuine.

1:15p.m. -- Talk of the economy and Obama and we're just waiting for him to finish lunch.

1:07p.m. -- Everyone is waiting for Obama to finish lunch...

12:45p.m. -- Last I checked, the DOW is down 187 points (2.2%) on the day... just sayin'.

12:42p.m. -- Two things I can't get over:
1) John Roberts messing up the oath of office.
2) Not canceling the stupid classic music song so that at noon Obama is being sworn in. I mean REALLY? Knowing we're running late, no one can say, screw the song that no one cares about so we're swearing in Obama at the time he becomes President?

12:31p.m. -- It's weird seeing Barack and Michelle Obama enter the room for this lunch... which is a sea of white people. They stick out. It also shows how far we still need to go as a country.