Inauguration Day

As I prepare to turn in for the night, I get the distinct feeling that I may be the only person on the planet who hasn't watched or tuned into Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony today.

I have a distinct aversion to mass hysteria of the kind that we've seen pouring out over a guy with nothing much to show on his past record other than the times he voted 'present' in Congress and the books he wrote about himself.

The only thing that is truly appropriate to celebrate - and rejoice over - is that a black man has become President of the United States. That's a true milestone and achievement for America and a challenge to the WASPish elites in Europe.

Sure he's a folksy guy, a wonderful public speaker and performer. But as for substance - it's truly hard to find anyone he measures up to.

Except possibly Abraham Lincoln, whose bible was reportedly used for the swearing-in.

If there's one thing Obama HAS achieved so far, it is to solidly disprove Lincoln's most famous maxim:

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

Young Barack might just turn out to be the most successful snake-oil salesman ever, in all American history.