Today marks the anniversary of the first ever Presidential Inaugural Address under the Constitution. Let’s look at five that stand out. April 30, 1789, George Washington’s First Inaugural: Neither the Constitution nor Congress required Washington to deliver an inaugural. But Washington set the bar high for his successors. The only president to be unanimously elected, Washington admitted that he had hoped to retire to Mount Vernon, but, he declared, “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.” His presence was a …
Let’s say you decide tomorrow that you want to attend the inauguration the week after next. And let’s assume that, like most Americans, you do not have any political ‘in’ with the new administration or any of the congressional offices handing tickets out to donors and supporters. What are your options? So far as I can tell, you’ve got three. If your elected representatives have any not yet allocated, you could get on their lists—but it’s a longshot. Second, you may still be able to buy a set of four …
Another electronic circular with the nameplate ”New Common Sense” burst forth from other corridors of The Heritage Foundation late Friday. This one, again anonymously signed “A Conservative,” takes on the delicate topic of the constitutional authority granted the nation’s president-elect. The e-circular carries the headline “The Presumptive President-elect” and reads as follows: Barack Obama is doing so many news conferences and speeches, not to mention from a lectern with an official seal proclaiming “Office of the President-Elect,” the casual observer may be forgiven for being confused. The United States seems to have …
