Crowds pack frigid Mall for Obama inauguration

Braving frigid temperatures, an exuberant crowd of hundreds of thousands packed the National Mall today to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as America’s first black president. He grasps the reins of power in a noon ceremony amid grave economic worries and high expectations. It was the first change of administrations since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Crowds filled the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol for a glimpse of the proceedings and, in the words of many, simply “to be here.” Washington’s subway system was jammed and two downtown stations were closed when a woman was struck by a subway train. The dawn of the new Democratic era—with Obama allies in charge of both houses of Congress—ends eight years of Republican control of the White House by George W. Bush. Following tradition, Bush left a note for Obama in the top drawer of his desk in the Oval Office. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the theme of the message, which Bush wrote Monday, was similar to what he has said since election night: that Obama is about to begin a “fabulous new chapter” in the United States, and that he wishes him well. Runnels School eighth-grader Theresa Hudson is at a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., this week, awaiting the inauguration. Read Theresa’s direct text messages to 225 about her inauguration experiences in her blog, Capital Text, by clicking here. Most national news networks have live coverage on their Web sites.