After a few hours of sleep, I have now successfully recovered from Inauguration Syndrome. Being a historical and political junkie, I was addicted to watching the transition of power from our 43rd President, George W. Bush to our 44th President Barrack H. Obama. Being handicapped by the time zone, my day began at 0200 Tuesday morning ending at 2200 the same day. I enjoyed it thoroughly and consider it time well spent.

President Barrack H. Obama: No doubt that this day was a historical event in the history of of our nation. The transition of power was completed in an orderly fashion with both parties showing professionalism and courtesy towards one another. The passage of time during the next four years will be the judge of the administration of President Obama's administration. In listening to his Inauguration speech it was filled with hope and promises for the future. We cannot expect all of the promises to be kept, as governing within the political process can be stalled by economic and world events. Although all candidates promise unity and bipartisan, it is very difficult to achieve in a power broker environment. Within the President's speech, there was one partial paragraph upon which I will remember and judge the administration of President Obama. He is quoted as saying, "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." This is basically the same policy established by past President George W. Bush.

Despite non-stop news coverage by every television network in the world, there was one moment in the day that was missed by all of them. Despite all the pomp and circumstance, I thought this particular moment was a highlight because it defined the individual and his values. President Bush is most likely the most popular Commander in Chief that we have seen in recent history. He was well respected by those in the military, as he stood by his word as a Commander despite the popularity polls. We cannot forget the times that he upset the news media by sneaking off in Air Force One to visit the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on Christmas Day or the day he landed on the decks of an aircraft carrier returning from a eleven month deployment. One cannot forget the number of times that his eyes filled with tears when talking about those men and women under his command.

The moment in time that the news media failed to respond to occurred at Andrews Air Force Base. When President Clinton left office, he also flew out of Andrew's Air Force Base on Executive One (formerly Air Force One) but prior to doing so he held a reception in the hangar that was open to all. His reception lasted over two hours and distracted from the Inauguration of President Bush. It was widely covered by the news media.

Yesterday, landing at Andrews A.F.B. in a helicopter from the capital, President Bush was greeted by the entire staff of personnel that maintained the presidential fleet of aircraft. Departing the helicopter, he went directly to these men and women, shaking each of their hands and then posing for pictures. He also had a reception in the hangar, only this time it was a closed affair, restricted to his staff, close friends, and the air crews at Andrews A.F.B. The reception lasted less than a half hour, he and his family then boarded Executive One for the flight to Texas.

The news media was present to video the launch of the former Air Force One, however, there was no commentary. Following the successful launch of the Executive One, the aircraft banked sharp and commenced a low level circular pattern over Washington D.C. and the White House. Coming back on course, it then started to descend as it approached Andrews Air Force Base glide pattern. The pilot made a perfect approach, although it could be classified as a "touch and go" it was actually a very low altitude fly over of the runway. The air crews on the ground were outside waving and saluting the aircraft as it went the length of the runway, gaining altitude, the pilot dipped his outboard wing twice, banked right, and headed to Texas. A typical military pilots salute to those on the deck. The Commander In Chief was going home. The balance of the story is that the pilot, a Colonel in the Air Force and the pilot of Air Force One each time the President flew was also going home. On his return flight to Andrews Air Force Base, he exchanged seats with his co-pilot as his flight to Texas was the last time that he would sit as Commander of the Aircraft, as he also was retiring after thirty years in the military. Very little emphasis was placed on this flight by the news media, but it spoke volumes of the character and the respect for the outgoing Commander in Chief.