Decent start with the whole Guantanamo Bay being shut down by years end.. Lets see if he can keep the ball rolling.. He really does have a hellz-a-lot to be living up to.. Fingers crossed for him.. And the rest of us..

I am very happy about this. Apparently he's also lifting the ban on stem cell research and they are now going to start experiments on people with spinal cord injuries. Science has returned to America!

I know most of the Americans here are probably fed up with this subject by now, but I actually have a question for our posters outside of the United States. I have been hearing from people outside of the country that the Obama inauguration is big news in many countries. Australia, England, and many other countries seem to have this near the top of their news as well. I'm just curious as to if some of the posters on here are also hearing a lot of this news, and how big is it really. Is it the big story? Is it a big story? Is it more of a mid-sized story? Any way you can really describe it I guess. I'm just pretty curious. I know that this does have a big effect on the rest of the world, but despite trying to keep myself as conscious to the international community as I can, it's still hard for me to really know how big this is for the rest of the world.

And for fun, what do you guys think of not only the selection of Obama as president for the USA, but also what do you feel will come from it? I noticed today that suddenly the daylight seemed to last a couple of minutes longer than it did the day before, it's amazing that a president can do that much! In all seriousness though, it's not as much the election of Obama, but Preznit Georgio Bush leaving office, it felt like a cloak of evil had been lifted from the country, but that's more due to personal politics.

In germany it was by far the biggest news of the day. The inauguration was broadcasted live on several big tv-stations (including both big non-private tv-stations) and was of course top story on every big newspaper, as far as i know. You might know that a few month ago, 200000 people came to Obama´s speech in Berlin. Another example: I saw an ice cream parlour in my city where you could buy Obama-Ice-Cream (of course it was milkchocolat, no kidding... ). So yes, it´s a very big thing here, i think. Most germans i know really hated W. ("cloak of evil" seems to fit) and "the americans" for their dumbness and ignorance to elect him a second time (after they did´nt elect him the first time). In "our" opinion the USA were for 8 years together the most evil, dumb and therefore most dangerous and unpredictable country in the world. Don´t take that personally, my english isn´t very good and i´m aware that this point of view is quite simplified. Of course we knew that not every american did fit to this scheme.

....Most germans i know really hated W. ("cloak of evil" seems to fit) and "the americans" for their dumbness and ignorance to elect him a second time (after they did´nt elect him the first time). In "our" opinion the USA were for 8 years together the most evil, dumb and therefore most dangerous and unpredictable country in the world. Don´t take that personally, my english isn´t very good and i´m aware that this point of view is quite simplified. Of course we knew that not every american did fit to this scheme.

I agree, we are dumb. McCain supporters were an act of dumb evil as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxzmaXA ... re=related

We didn't know what Bush was going to do next either. I think this new President brought a lot of weight off of everyone's shoulders.

[EphelDuath666]

well, first of all I of course come from a country where millions of idiots followed a dwarf with a strange moustache who thought all people have to be 6 feet tall and blond and all that while he himself was like 2 feet small and of course he wasn't even born in Germany which is very ironic too if you think about it...having that said....I do think Bush sucked donkey balls and maybe even cow udders. He has messed up international relationships in a way that they have not been messed up for quite a while prior to his presidency. He has pretty much mixed up the words 'patriotism' and 'nationalism' in my opinion. And I think that he really does think that his understanding of 'freedom' and 'liberty' is equal with everybody else's. Which I don't agree with either because I think many people have different understandings of freedom and they can still be positive. Anyways...yeah, I'm glad he's gone and I'm happy about Obama's victory although it IS a bit scary that he is almost being treated like some sort of biblical messiah. I'm quite sure that he can't walk across water and people will only be disappointed if he can't fix every problem in one month, which of course is impossible. I guess I'm just not a big fan of idolizing people in such ways. Still, it's very cool actually that he's young at heart (he's not THAT young agewise) or at least younger at heart that many others and although it's totally unrealistic to think that he'll heal the world, I'm sure he'll make a positive difference...
now to the actual question...yes, the coverage has been huge here and the inauguration was all over the place here so you couldn't really miss it, even if you wanted to. But people here in general are no fans of GW so that was to be expected. I think the excitement will settle down more and more though.

and yeah, those pop stars should just STFU...what a bunch of annoying people

Until he proves something I am pretty ambivelant.
Anyone who succeeds George Bush Jnr is going to be seen as a bringer of change. The fact he is a black man adds to the hype some what I feel.

I agree. Personally I think the hype he has created with the people has somewhat overtaken the confidence he has instilled, but vice-versa, people are expecting a hell of a lot from him now because he is the first black president.

Decent start with the whole Guantanamo Bay being shut down by years end.. Lets see if he can keep the ball rolling.. He really does have a hellz-a-lot to be living up to.. Fingers crossed for him.. And the rest of us..

Again I agree. I was very shocked at the Guantanamo Bay closure, but I did agree to it. Although it may seem like an obvious attempt at media and social exposure to many people, personally I think it seemed like something he had been wanting to do for years and now he has the power to shut it down he has. And (I think) to international applaud!

I do think Bush sucked donkey balls and maybe even cow udders. He has messed up international relationships in a way that they have not been messed up for quite a while prior to his presidency....

....I'm glad he's gone and I'm happy about Obama's victory although it IS a bit scary that he is almost being treated like some sort of biblical messiah.

First off, Alot of people In the UK thought the same about Bush. He dragged us into alot of international bother, and our own big-eared leader seemed to walk in bush's shadow and do his bidding, which sucked. But many countries have lost faith and trust in America because of bush. And it is scary about how Obama is being viewed by the world as a 'messiah' character, like I said, his image and campaign has overblown people's opinion of him. But I also think he is the dawn of a new age. Literally. I mean seriously, how many people here honestly thought they would see an African-American president in their lifetimes???

I have been following Obama's campaign since the beginning, and to me the whole time he has seemed to me to have a very serious passion about America and it's wellbeing, whereas bush always just seemed to be a token leader that never wanted to lead anything. There was no passion or love for his country. Obama on the other hand seems to have a real connection and a genuine love for both his native America AND Africa. He seems to want to focus on bettering America instead of interfering internationally. And for that he has my applaud.

I think in the UK there was a lot more media and public attention that most other countries because of the alliance during the wars and because Tony Blair seemed to be caught up in bush's ass in the whole affair. I myself stayed up till the late hours of the morning watching the results come in live during election night, and eventually went to bed with a huge smile on my face.

Personally I do have alot of faith in Obama. Yes, he has a hell of a position to fill, and he has a hell of a job to live up to everyone's expectations, and goddamn it he is trying to fill some legendary shoes, (note the bible he used during the oath of office), but dammit he is already trying a HELL of alot harder than the last president, and he really seems to want to make a difference and do his job as a leader. I am looking forward to the next few years (hopefully 8 of them), and I think there are going to be a hell of a lot of changes for the good made in the next 24 months or so.

Anyway these are just my opinions. I also wonder what Devin's opinions of these events are seeing as his country is right next to America. Just curious

Haha, my god. Everyone who didnt vote for Bush bitches about how he "stole the election"

I personally, and many others I know, are not bitching about Obama winning by saying he "stole it"

fucking sore losers.

Haha, my god. Everyone who didnt vote for Bush bitches about how he "stole the election"

I personally, and many others I know, are not bitching about Obama winning by saying he "stole it"

fucking sore losers.

Last time I checked, Obama won by a landslide, and didn't need a much-debated recount to claim victory (in a state where his brother was the governor, no less).

Haha, my god. Everyone who didnt vote for Bush bitches about how he "stole the election"

I personally, and many others I know, are not bitching about Obama winning by saying he "stole it"

fucking sore losers.

Last time I checked, Obama won by a landslide, and didn't need a much-debated recount to claim victory (in a state where his brother was the governor, no less).

We didnt need one for Bush. Gore and Kerry were both whiny little pussy bitches.

Either way Bush isnt in office, so no one needs to bitch about any of that any more unless they REALLY are that sore about it...fuckin pansies.

I got just a fist full of crazy today, first from a fat man saying Obama is trying to take 'our' guns away and restore voting privileges for criminals. I have no clue where this guy got his information, but he just said all this stuff out of the blue to me at work. As he was leaving he said "I hope somebody shoots him." Then, as I was telling what had just happened to another co-worker- a lady that overheard goes off on me saying that Obama is the Anti-Christ because it says in the Bible that (blah blah) a man from Muslim descent will take over the world or something, then she said they have a photo of him in the White House wearing a towel over his head. She asked me what the guy said about shooting him, as I replied back she laughed with a maniacal grin. I got to thinking that this woman would not be saying the shit she is saying if Obama was not black. The whole Anti-Christ deal has been said about every President. I swear, my country is full of delusional ethnocentric assholes. I fear the people more than the government.

Anyone seen The Mist? Yea, it will happen. Not the monsters, but what is going inside the supermarket.

Haha, my god. Everyone who didnt vote for Bush bitches about how he "stole the election"

I personally, and many others I know, are not bitching about Obama winning by saying he "stole it"

fucking sore losers.

Last time I checked, Obama won by a landslide, and didn't need a much-debated recount to claim victory (in a state where his brother was the governor, no less).

We didnt need one for Bush. Gore and Kerry were both whiny little pussy bitches.

Either way Bush isnt in office, so no one needs to bitch about any of that any more unless they REALLY are that sore about it...fuckin pansies.

Okay, let's take it down a peg. It was tough when Bush made it into office the first time, but even after all that complaining the...*ahem*..."pansies" did, he still got elected for a second term. So, while a lot of people were upset with how things were run in those first 4 years, shame on those people for not really taking the initiative to try to change things whenever they got the chance. Its always easier to sit back get hot-and-bothered about things, rather than take action. It didn't help that Kerry wasn't not the best choice to run against Bush, either...though it wasn't just because he was a "whiny little pussy bitch." Looking back on Bush's past, he could fit in that classification, as well, what with him ducking out of active duty and having a below average grade and attendance in college. But there was some good that Bush being president brought about: It allowed for everyone to actually get interested in the government and care about who runs our nation. Multiple mistakes, a horribly low approval rating, being far from a eloquent speaker, plus the passing of time really added up in people minds and made some light bulbs turn on. Then, enter Barack Obama, a black democrat bearing the word "Change" as his motto. The rest is history. And you're right, it is pretty ridiculous to argue about points that seem moot because they are over and done with...time can be spent more constructively. But just because they do or bring it up doesn't mean they are "fucking pansies" or sore about it. You seem pretty sore yourself. History is full of events that people are upset about, many people can only stay upset about it, and can't move on from it. But I've heard that talking about things helps people...it can aid the thought process, and introduce new opinions and understandings (to the open-minded). So its not all bad.

Name-calling and mindless bickering...bad.
Simple discussion...good.

You make good points. And your point about Kerry not being a good opponent against Bush is very true. As is the fact that McCain was not a good choice for the GOP this past election.

Sore over it you say? Obama has already done something to stop lobbyists. I have some hope he wont do too many things wrong now. I didnt want the guy in office because a lot of his views still reflect those of communists/socialists. I, unlike some people I know, am giving the guy a chance. He's already proven he isnt going to be a lazy president(at least so far).

my two cents

Hm....Good point Dunkel...

It all comes down to choice between giant douche and turd sandwich anyway.

Honestly, I could care less how you label the guy's policies, all I care about is them being better for the country. The way the economy is right now all I care about is actually getting a good job. I graduated from college almost 2 years ago and still can't get a job that's even good enough for me to live on my own. All the experienced people being laid off are taking all the entry level jobs, and the only ones still available are pretty much the temporary jobs out there.

As for Obama though, so far I feel like he's doing everything right. I felt beyond betrayed by my own country in 2004. Kerry wasn't a great candidate, but Bush may go down as the worst president this country has ever seen. His policies which seemed to completely defy all common sense (see the stem cell research stuff, for instance), and pretty much moved the country backwards during his reign. Luckily, Obama is coming right out the gates and reversing a lot of those policies and removing that cloak of darkness from this country. Only time will tell if he'll continue to bring us back, but so far it's looking like he was the right choice. I also don't see what the problem is with being upset about how Bush set this country back, we're still feeling the effects of it today, and I have every right to be unhappy about it.