crossposted at blogher.com

Call it the great “Purple Gate Conspiracy” of 2009. Call it the “mishandling of a moment” call it whatever you like, but I did not get into the swearing-in ceremony of the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Smiling Mama didn’t either. She writes, “Oh, purple gate, purple gate, how you let me down…It all started out fine. Yes, hoards of people and long lines and some confusion, but that was expected. People were happy, talking to their neighbors, a few cheers of ‘Yes we can!’ and ‘Fired up! Ready to Go!’ could be heard in different sections of the line. Then, we–and hundreds and thousands of other purple ticket holders around us–started to get nervous as it approached 9am then 9:30am then 10am then 10:30am then 11am with NO MOVEMENT. Well, slight movement, but I’m convinced that was just the crowd condensing itself. Something went terribly, terribly wrong at the purple gate.”

Smiling Mama and thousands of others are still unsure what happened at the purple, blue, and silver gates but thousands of ticket-holding people did not get in.

The Washington Post has raw video of some of the gate problems and I did my best to lift my arms (not an easy task) and snap a pic.

Once I navigated my way out of the doomed purple gate line and onto the Mall (alllll the way in the BACK by the Washington Monument) I could hear the ceremony over the loudspeakers. With two million of my closest friends.

Then it was time to try and sprint back to my hotel, grab my ball gown, and head back into the heart of chaos.

Yeah. That took three hours and I missed the media entry cut-off time for the ball.

So after NOT getting into the ticketed area of the swearing-in AND missing the ball am I excited? Am I delusional from the crowds? Did all that walking get to me?

No, I’m not delusional. Because today I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my fellow neighbor and witnessed change.

Today I walked and walked and felt the crush of bodies against my own…and witnessed change.

I may not have seen it in the flesh. I may not have seen it on the jumbotron.

I saw change when the woman next to me in the sea of humanity reached out and embraced me after we heard ‘…so help me god’ over the loudspeaker.

I saw change when in the midst of chaos and dangerous crowd conditions community organizers, yes those Obama campaign volunteers, took charge and parted the sea of people for ambulances and to regain order.

I saw change when two million people pushed and shoved with politeness and smiles.

I saw change when returning to my hotel dejected, ballgown now hanging in the closet, word comes of a party in the hotel bar and grill. Our own neighborhood ball.

And I saw change as the woman on the metro and the people in the hallway and the television and the radio all say the words “President Barack Obama.”

Ok so it wasn’t a view, but it was still amazing. More to come.

crossposted at BlogHer.com

As I head out the door to watch Barack Obama be sworn in as our 44th President, I’m wondering what it will really be like.

Will there really be no cell service because of the amount of people in town?

Will I really have to hold my pee for 4 hours or stand in a 2 hour line for a porta john?

Will I really FREEZE MY BUTT OFF????

I’m not taking any chances. This Cali girl loaded up on snowboarding gear before I left my very sunny, very warm home state. What. Don’t look at me like that. We don’t really have COLD weather stuff in Southern California. It’s all snowboarding or skiing gear. I know. I was all over town before figuring it out.

Layer #1 has some Roxy and some Hot Chillys, because I’m not taking any chances.

Layer #2 is the “Horray I FOUND a turtleneck in 80 degree weather at the store!”

Layer #3 has the inaugural hat which Twitter helped me choose!

Wish me luck. I’m not sure what’s going to happen from here on out, but I do know I will really be witnessing history.

crossposted at BlogHer.com

Millions are descending here on Washington, D.C. for reasons that are as vast and varied as our country.

I’ve met politicians and parents, teachers and truckers. Standing in line waiting for tickets to the swearing-in, you can really get a feel for what may come tomorrow. The community is forming as line mates talk to one another and tell their story: why they came to see Barack Obama sworn-in and how they got here.

Just one of those stories is from one of our very own BlogHer’s. Stephanie Himel-Nelson, aka LawyerMama, along with Vivian Greentree are here representing Blue Star Families for Obama. Stephanie and Vivian spoke with me about their mission and their anticipation for an Obama Administration.

More from DC soon!

Erin Kotecki Vest also blogs at Queen of Spain blog

crossposted at BlogHer.com

BlogHer’s inaugural festivities are kicking off exactly as they should: with a line-up of amazing women.

Emily’s List has brought together Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary-designate Janet Napolitano, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of Labor-designate Hilda Solis, Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Governor-elect Bev Perdue of North Carolina.

The “Power to Change: A Celebration of the 2008 Election” Emily’s List Inaugural Luncheon had me turning on my camera every other minute to capture all the fabulous women in attendance.

While we filed into our seats, I was lucky enough to speak with Feminist Majority Foundation’s Eleanor Smeal about that infamous Ms. magazine cover.

While Clinton, Pelosi, Napolitano, and others were all amazing speakers and had the crowd on it’s feet, no one brought the house down like Congresswoman Gwen Moore as she praised Pelosi and introduced Secretary of Labor designate Hilda Solis.

More from DC soon!

crossposted at BlogHer

Well excuse me while I put my flannel back on and rip my jeans. Apparently the 90’s are back.

The New York Times reports Leon Panetta, former Clinton White House chief of staff, will be named CIA director.

“Democratic officials said Mr. Obama had selected Mr. Panetta for his managerial skills, his bipartisan standing, and the foreign policy and budget experience he gained under President Bill Clinton. Mr. Panetta has himself been a sharp critic of the agency’s interrogation practices.”

But let’s be honest, most of us are scratching our heads over this one. Panetta has limited intelligence experience, at best. And while President-elect Obama is touting the pick (unofficially) as someone who would not tell him what he wants to hear, but what he needs to know…I can’t help but turn on some grunge music and wonder how this position came to be filled.

Was this part of the great Clinton negotiation?

Is this an old school pick or an unusual pick meant to push change in the CIA?

Mcjoan at Daily Kos writes, “This appointment is a bit out of left field, but it is encouraging in several ways: Obama wasn’t swayed by the intelligence community’s all-out effort to put a current CIA type into the position–an effort aimed at maintaining and/or justifying Bush policies, including torture. Instead, Obama went for someone with proven management skills, something that it desperately needed in the position. But the best news in all of this–Leon Panetta is a much of a departure from torture as you could want.”

This is a plus, because I land firmly in the “torture sucks” crowd.

However my California Senator Diane Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, seems ticked:

“My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time,” she said.

Lez Get Real writes, “From 1997 to 2000 I was employed by the National Security Agency as an analyst and I am getting feed back from those in the know about this appointment and they are saying that many intelligence and defense insiders are up in arms about this… Several top ranked members of the Intelligence Agency have also stated that they would leave their position if Panetta were confirmed.”

Which makes me go…uh oh.

Kathy from Comments From Left Field notes the righties are outraged seeing the pick as an “anti-torture” statement.

However, even if the CIA insiders (and the righties) are pissed, the President is STILL the President, and their job remains to gather intelligence and report TO the President.

Will there be unnecessary pissing matching by the big boys because their guy didn’t get picked? Probably. Will they make life more difficult for the new administration and moan and whine a bit? Probably.

Will they stop doing their job and put our country in danger? I’d hope not.

Contributing Editor Erin Kotecki Vest also blogs at Queen of Spain Blog