Washington
THE inauguration of a new American president, the address he delivers after being sworn in, followed by the pageantry of the ensuing ceremonies, with their marching bands and horses, the flashy inaugural balls and the First Couple's First Dance have traditionally provided for a peaceful, yet celebratory, national interval between the election campaign and its dirty politics and the next four years of rough-and-tumble policymaking.
This magnificent national ritual that marks the peaceful transition of power from one commander-in-chief to another; in particular, the delivery of the inaugural address from the West Front of the United States Capitol provides the incoming president with...