Obama inauguration

The Obama presidential inauguration signaled the conclusion of the Bush administration with the swearing-in ceremony of president-elect Barack Hussein Obama, and Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. as Vice President, on Tuesday January 20th, 2009 at 12:00 p.m. EST. 1.8 million people came to Washington D.C. to watch the ceremony, the largest crowd ever assembled for a presidential inauguration since Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration speech in 1965.

Cost

The cost of Obama's inauguration may have exceeded $160 million dollars. In comparison, the cost for George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration is listed as $44 million.

The comments from the liberal mainstream media in 2005;

• "Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees"
• "Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"
• "Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft."

The comments from the liberal mainstream media in 2009;

• "Obama Spends $120 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"
• "Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"
• "Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $120 million"

In a column for MediaMatters.org, Eric Boehlert notes that the $44 million figure cited for the Bush inauguration did not include the federal government's spending on security for the event. The New York Times notes that, "In 2005, Mr. Bush raised $42.3 million from about 15,000 donors for festivities; the federal government and the District of Columbia spent a combined $115.5 million, most of it for security, the swearing-in ceremony, cleanup and for a holiday for federal workers." According to Boehlert, the combined total of Bush's 2005 inauguration was $157 million, a cost similar to that projected for Obama's inauguration.

Controversy

• While inviting a Christian to give an inaugural prayer is not so controversial, the gay community is in an uproar over the invite to evangelical pastor Rick Warren. Pastor Warren voted for Proposition 8 in his home state of California.

• Rev. Sharon Watkins of Protestant Christian denomination gave an an opening prayer. She is the first female pastor to give an inaugural prayer.

• Openly gay Bishop V. Gene Robinson from New Hampshire prayed at a concert held two days before the inauguration. Bishop Robinson was among those responsible for the breakup of the American Episcopal Church over the issue of gay pastors.

• Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, was invited to give an inaugural prayer. Mattson's group says it does not condone terrorism. The Holy Land Foundation and five of its former leaders were convicted of funneling millions of dollars to Hamas, for which the ISNA funded and supported.

• In an additional break with Obama's predecessors, no Catholic or Jewish speaker was invited to give an inaugural prayer.