Skeptic though I am of all things political, I must admit–in this first hour of Barack Obama’s presidency–to feeling a bit contented at the state of our nation and its government. I’m sure it will pass in due time.
In other news, I just noticed some strangeness surrounding our own Governor Linda Lingle’s official statement regarding Obama’s inauguration. Let’s start with Lingle’s official statement as it appears on her homepage: as you can see, it’s short–just four paragraphs, containing all the warmth and humanity you’d expect from someone who traveled the nation stumping for Senator John McCain by publicly denigrating Obama’s Hawaii roots.
But now check out the statement as reported by the Honolulu Advertiser: It’s actually two paragraphs longer than the other statement. And among other things, it includes this sentence not in the “official” version posted on Lingle’s homepage:
“For the people of Hawai`i, this presidential inauguration holds special significance because of the local roots of President Barack Obama.”
Considering all she’s said, that’s pretty generous. But which is her “official” statement? I’ve heard of wanting it both ways, but come on!
Anthony Pignataro 