Amy's Robot

Inauguration 2005: "The meaning and promise of liberty"

Today's inauguration brings previously unseen levels of security to Washington.

"Bush awoke before dawn in the White House, the nation's cold capital under security so tight that 100 square blocks were sealed off to traffic." [AP]

"The security, the tightest for any of the 54 previous inaugurations in U.S. history, included 7,000 members of the U.S. armed forces and at least 6,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers.

In addition to D.C. police, more than 3,000 police officers from other jurisdictions were on hand to help secure the inaugural ceremonies. Having come from as far away as Seattle, the officers bolstered a force that authorities said would virtually line the parade route from the Capitol to the White House, with an officer stationed every seven to 10 feet along both sides of the road.

The security for the events was being coordinated from a field office in Northern Virginia, where officials from more than 50 federal, state and local agencies were overseeing the police and troops, as well as SWAT teams, sharpshooters, plainclothes officers, canine bomb-sniffing units, bicycle patrols, Coast Guard cutters and surveillance helicopters." [Washington Post]

Unrelated: "An AP-Ipsos poll taken Jan. 3-5 showed that 49 percent of Americans approve of Bush's overall job performance, 49 percent disapprove and 2 percent have mixed feelings. By comparison, Gallup polls showed presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton with job approval ratings of nearly six in 10 just before their second terms." [WP]

Thankfully, all that security didn't deter a plucky bunch of Rockettes from making their way backstage. Kick for America, girls!

categories: Politics, War and Security
posted by amy at 11:00 AM | #