Anyway, politics aside, here’s an interesting video I came across on Gizmodo today to the likes of Google’s realtime search index so enjoy. Both videos are worth watching, the embedded one here and the Google Geniuses on the TED website linked again [here].

Update: I guess I should tell you what this video is showing you. During Obama’s presidential inauguration, the nerds over at MIT were busy scouring the world wide interspace for all cal activity made, from all points of the world. It provides a very interesting perspective into the traffic AT&T trunk lines and backbone networks were experiencing leading up to and after the historic event. The engineering guru’s were kept busy around the world. Take note of the vast amount of traffic funneling in and out of Washington D.C. throughout the virtual timeline.

A southpaw from Illinois, President Obama has already signed Executive Orders and begun the undoings of the last eight years. First to go was the steadfast rule of jackets or blazers required in the oval office by former President George W. Bush.

And then President Obama announced that his entire staff will be required to attend an ethics class. Pay freezes have been implemented for staff making over $100,000, and on his first full day on the job, Obama was already busy on the phone calling officials in the Middle East.

And yet amidst all the festivities and celebrations, at least one thing did go wrong – the Presidential Oath. As Wolf Blizter commented on CNN,

Chief Justice Roberts had one job to do today, and he kind of screwed it up.

He is of course referring to the blunder that occurred in administering the Presidential Oath of Office, a 35 word dissertation. Legally, though, Barack Obama was already crowned President at high noon, a stipulation of the Constitution of the United States.

Regardless of the mess up, change has already begun. The White House website was switched over promptly at noon, and re-runs of the inauguration are abundant. Watch below to relive the history as it happened, and remember where you were, what you were doing, when this historic event happened. Your kids may ask you someday.

[photo by The White House]

“We have chosen Hope.” ~President Barack Hussein Obama

Change has come to America as former Senator Barack Hussein Obama (D-IL) was sworn in by Chief Justice Roberts just past noon eastern standard time. Festivities filled and packed with supporters and hopefuls, Capitol Hill became the stage for this historic inauguration. The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama represents more than hope, more than change. He is the nation’s first African American President. He calls out to the Middle East and offers peace to those who will join the movement against terrorism. He calls out the past as problematic, and he lays the path for a bumpy road ahead.

But it is a brighter day. With an estimated attendance of over 2 million, plus the billions that watched the inauguration around the world on the Internet and on television, Obama made clear one thing – he will represent an administration of you, of Us. And as George Walker Bush flew off on Executive One for the last time, we were reminded of the past, and happy about the future.

At 12pm EST, the Moment will happen. President-Elect Barack Obama will shed the ‘elect’ from his name as he places his hand on the Bible and takes the presidential oath of office. And we will get to see that moment in unprecidented HD coverage, via the news networks on tv and this year, online, and even on your iPhone.

Common, if this makes Wolf Blitzer giddy, it’s gotta be big.

[CNN, photo by AFP/Getty]

It is widely expected that President-Elect Barack Obama will formally ask Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to accept the role of Secretary of State. Clinton, Obama’s chief rival during the Democratic Primaries for Democratic presidential nomination, brings a lot to the table for the position. Her world-class status as a renowned diplomat and various relations with world leaders will prove important and worthy of the nomination. She has garnered significant influence in the United States Senate despite her relatively short tenure, elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2006. All of this will prove significant to the position. But the rumors surrounding Obama’s nomination of Clinton proves more important than just filling a cabinet seat – it is evidence that President-Elect Obama is trying to begin an era of a new kind of politics, an era not bogged down by partisanship and enemies. Surely in politics, there will be those who disagree with you, politicians from both sides of the political spectrum.

President Abraham Lincoln crowned the tone of argument amongst cabinet members. He welcomed and encouraged arguments amongst his Cabinet, using disagreements as a point-counterpoint measure to gauge effectiveness of policy decisions before taking public action. Historian and author Doris Kearns Goodwin argues that Lincoln’s motis operandi of surrounding himself with dissenting opinions to mold public policy consensus is what’s missing from today’s Cabinet and is what this country needs.

And it appears that is what President-Elect Obama is trying to accomplish. Wanting to bring aboard rivals and opponents as well as supporters to the Cabinet will offer a unique perspective into policy making and will shape public policy for the better, especially in such times of economic crisis today.

This is exactly the thinking taking place in Obama’s Secretary of Defense pick. Probable candidate is the current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who was sworn in as the defense secretary in December, 2006, and Obama is expected to ask Gates to stay on as the Pentagon Chief for at least one more year. His resumé includes 27 years of service with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as both an agent and director. His experience in recent years with national security and defense measures as well as ongoing counter-terrorism measures likely tops Obama’s reasoning for his continued service.

New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner has officially been chosen by President-Elect Obama as the next Secretary of Treasury. Geithner helped manage Wall Street’s financial crisis earlier in the year, overseeing the acquisition of Bear Stearns by the more financially secure JPMorgan Chase, as well as the bailouts of AIG and Lehman Brothers. His experience in working with the United States Treasury Department date back to the late 1980’s, where he held various secretarial positions even beyond the Clinton administration of 1992-2000. He will be heading up the Obama economic advisory committee as the face that sells its ideas to Congress and to the people. He is widely respected amongst his peers and in and around Washington, and should provide the know-how to save this country from the economic crisis it is in today. He will lead an economic team consisting of Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic Council, Christina D. Romer, Director of the Council of Economic Advisors, Melody C. Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, and Heather A. Higginbottom, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Below, Barack Obama announces his economic team from his Transition Team headquarters in Chicago, Illinois -

The President-Elect is looking to nominate Retired General James L. Jones as the next National Security Advisor. Jones, who served in Vietnam, was named by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as the commander of the U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander of Europe in early 2003.

Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman looks to be the next Energy Secretary. Bingham currently chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, a committee that oversees U.S. energy policy, a seemingly easy and logical transition for the Senator.

Meanwhile, on the Homeland Security front, Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) is emerging as Obama’s top choice for Secretary of Homeland Security.

Already announced is Robert Gibbs as the Press Secretary. Gibbs, a trusted advisor dating back to Obama’s senatorial bid in 2004, was a senior advisor and communications director for the President-Elect’s presidential campaign.

And lastly for today, the Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). A veteran of the Clinton administration, is well known around Washington. Currently the fourth highest ranking member of the United States House of Representatives, Emanuel has been a trusted advisor for Obama throughout his campaign and Senatorial work, and is a appropriate fit for the next administration. I will end this post with a video from 2005, which C-SPAN just re-aired after learning of Emanuel’s appointment to Chief of Staff.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

It was not all that long ago that Lieberman enraged Democrats by speaking at the Republican National Convention, offering his public support for Senator John McCain (R-AZ). But in the new Obama-era of politics, the President-Elect offered a sense of forgiveness to the Senator. Whether or not you or I agree with, or like for that matter, Senator Lieberman, Obama is clearly trying to create a government that works together, mending ties with politicians of opposing political views, and even in the case of Lieberman, mending the ties with defectors.

This election year looks to be a cleaning house of the Senate and government. Reaching an overwhelming majority in the Senate, Democrats may be able to prevent a Republican filibuster for the next few years. A change of party has reached the Oval Office. Its cabinet is shaping up to be comprised of Clinton-era men and women with long, established, and qualified resumés. And in the end, hopefully this means a government that works together for the greater good, putting out the fires that Lieberman eludes to in the below interview with Katie Couric.

The video, which in part is embedded below, is being viewed as mere “despicable comments from a terrorist” by members of the State Department, that quotation from State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

“America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always,” the deputy of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden said.

The video calls out Obama as a new face on an old body (a reference to the United States). He calls America a “mind drowning in greed, and [a] spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression, and despotism.” He sites the failures of Great Britain, China, and Russia in the past. Lets take a minute to think back to how Afghanistan had any chance of defeating the former Soviet Union? Oh yeah, it was because of a body called US, the United States. We gave your country weapons, we trained your people to fight the Russians. And you won. But you had no chance of defeating Russian forces had we not intervened. So how dare you turn the table and attack us. Ideals and beliefs aside, how dare you attack our President-Elect for his association with Americans, Jews, Christians, etc. He was born to a Muslim father, and is now a Christian. WHAT is the commotion about? What is it, you lost “a soldier?” While religion is killing the Republican party, religion is tearing our world apart as it intertwines itself with world politics and terrorist activities.

I can not speak for every Muslim, but I have had many discussions with friends of Muslim faith. And they all agree that YOU are not a Muslim as THEY are a Muslim. You preach violence, war, and radicalism. Obama preaches change. Change from the Bush administrations policing efforts around the world. Obama wants to end the War in Iraq. And he wants to finish off the War in Afghanistan, but in order to do that, we have to focus our efforts on our nation’s security and ridding the world of deposed and radical leaders like yourself, leaders who only seek violence and bloodshed as a means to spreading your ideas and attaining your goals. Why don’t you concern yourself with the economic hardships the people of your country are facing, the widespread famine, harsh living conditions, and political instability?

This video is al-Qaida’s first public position on President-Elect Obama. What will result from this? So far, the Obama team has remained mum on the subject. Will Obama’s Presidency be marked by this video, a video transmitted before his Presidency even began? Or better yet, does this video even deserve a response? I am inclined to think not. Guess what al-Zawahri, you just showed your cards, and you are scared of an Obama Presidency. Thanks for letting us know.

Photo Credit: Huffington Post

President-Elect Obama invited Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to his transition team’s headquarters in Illinois today to clear the air and move forward. In what began as a clearly awkward meeting, Obama’s official Change.gov website released the following statement:

“We had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington,” President-elect Obama and Senator McCain said in a joint statement released after the meeting. “We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation’s security.”

In order for Obama to be successful to any degree in his upcoming term, he must develop relationships with prominent officials on both sides of the political spectrum. So far, Obama is doing just that. He wants to run a bi-partisan administration which promotes inter-connectedness and cooperation amongst both Republicans and Democrats. Obama wants and needs to create a government not dialed back by party differences, but a government that works together with one common goal – working for the benefit of the American people and for the American nation.

This meeting that Obama called for with McCain is the first step towards mending any woes that were created during the long Presidential campaign.

In order for Obama to see any level of success, he needs to reach out to his opponent and attain a common ground. Senator McCain has vast knowledge in areas of energy, military, and varying views on economic policy, among many other areas of expertise. By working with McCain, Obama will likely gain the support of McCain advocates, and see easier results in working with the Senate and Congress.

Many have begun speculating that McCain may find himself with a seat in Obama’s administration, specifically a cabinet-level position. Realistically, this is looking less like a reality. But McCain will more than likely play a large role in the Obama administration, offering his input on various issues and lending his Congressional pull.

President-Elect Obama has made many relationships in the Senate as a Senator for the State of Illinois the past few years. He will need to utilize these friendships to create a government that can bring about the drastic changes he has proposed and the changes that this country needs. Obama has walked into a pile of problems, both economically and politically, that need to be fixed. And he has his work cut out for him.

Easing the tensions between his campaign rival McCain will certainly help.

Below is the press video released of the two’s initial meeting and praiseful remarks.

Henry Kissinger, a former Secretary of State under both the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations, as well as Chief of Staff in the Clinton administration, had the following words of praise for the possible job offer -

“I believe it would be an outstanding appointment. If it is true, it shows a number of things, including great courage on the part of the President-Elect. To appoint a very strong personality into a prominent cabinet position requires a great deal of courage. Obama was my second choice in the election. But at the same time, I want to stress that this is the moment for non-partisanship in America. There are a number of challenges that must be dealt with…I believe that the United States faces a moment of enormous complexity, but also a moment of extraordinary opportunity”

The possibility of Senator Hilary Clinton’s acceptance of the offer for Secretary of State would position the United States in a favorable stance internationally. Approval ratings are already higher than ever around the world for President-Elect Obama, but with Hilary Clinton in the cabinet, the knowledge and power she brings to the table would be astronomical. Clinton has traveled the globe extensively, both for her philanthropic work with her husband, President Bill Clinton, and during his administration. She has contacts in virtually every nation, and is on a first name basis with many of them. The pre-defined relationships she has with world leaders would be advantageous to the Obama administration.

After the last eight years of the Bush administration, the country needs a strong leader for the Secretary of State position. Her role could restore some level of international relation with many countries around the world.

While both the Office of the President-Elect and Senator Clinton remain mum on the subject, tidbits are leaking out that the President-Elect views Clinton as his number one candidate for the position. We shall find out shortly what, if anything, comes of this.

Photo Credit: CNN