The Best Moments of Inauguration 2013, Aside from the Speech
The 57th presidential inauguration — Barack Obama's second — has been sealed into history, and we'll no doubt remember President Obama's powerful speech, which seems to have gone over well. But there were other bright spots — moments that weren't in the script — that deserve their own special place:
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The Moment That Proved This Is Not the Time for Healing
Paul Ryan booed by crowd as he walks out. Harsh. #inaug2013
— Amanda Becker (@RollCallAmanda) January 21, 2013
Harsh is right, especially for the entrance stage of the morning, which was otherwise a smiley affair. But to be fair, Ryan set himself up for this one after he said last week that he was attending inauguration because "it's my obligation." (Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was in California, becoming the first presidential runner-up to snub inauguration since Michael Dukakis in 1989.)
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Just when we starting to worry, the event got musical when Ron Paul fanatic Kelly Clarkson took the stage for this rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee":
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The Moment We Got a Little Nostalgic
Bill and Hillary. Hillary and Bill.
The Moment That's Just Asking for Jon Stewart
Stewart does a stellar Schumer impersonation. And to everyone's delight, Schumer emcee'd the ceremony with some awkward introductions — then proceeded to steal the show.
The Moment Sasha Got Tired
After a long morning of fancy clothes and fancy church, The First Kid got caught in the middle of her dad's speech, on camera, doing this:
The Moment Eric Cantor Revealed His True Feelings About Poetry
Not unlike Sasha Obama, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor wasn't quite feeling the inauguration at times. Cameras caught up to Cantor late in the ceremony as Richard Blanco read his new poem. Blanco was the first Hispanic and first openly gay man to read the inaugural poem, and, well, this happened:
The Moment We Realized Congressmen Are Just Like Us
This is Rep. Peter King showing that no one is immune to being starstruck by Beyoncé and Jay-Z:
After Obama's speech, King was also caught on camera shaking the president's hand — and really not wanting to let go.
The Moment When We Realized (Again) That Beyoncé Is Not Just Like Us:
Right in the middle of her amazing rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" Beyoncé wrapped up the show by showcasing that earpieces are for regular humans — like, you know, Christina Aguilera or someone.
The Moment Obama Took It All In
Quoth the man himself: "I want to take a look one more time. I'm not going to see this again. It's beautiful."