WASHINGTON -- Virginia's top elected officials had box seats today to witness American history. And they came away humbled, overwhelmed and energized.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine sat with the nation's governors on a raised platform about 30 feet behind President Barack Obama's right shoulder.
"You could look all the way down the Mall to the [Washington] Monument and all you saw was people. That was the thing that struck us the most, especially when people waved the flags. The moving tableau of red, white and blue flashbulbs just going off like popcorn," Kaine said.
"All the governors, regardless of party -- everyone was struck by the power of the moment."
Kaine said Obama had announced to the world that that America stands ready to restore multilateralism and to "assume the mantle of world leadership, of moral leadership."
While mindful of the historic occasion, Kaine said he wants Obama's achievements as president to outdistance the achievement of his election, even in these challenging times.
"I think all of us who worked very hard want the fact of his election to be the least historic aspect of his presidency," Kaine said. "This is a momentous, historic day, but the biggest, most historic days are ahead of us."
Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, sat with members of the House to watch Obama take the oath of office.
"Some of us couldn't believe it until we saw it," he said.
"Well, we saw it," said Scott, pausing. "It was just a phenomenal moment."
Last night, at the Virginia Inaugural Ball in Arlington County, Virginia's newly minted Sen. Mark R. Warner said Inauguration Day 2009 will become another touchstone in American history.
"Everybody remembers where they were on 9/11," said Warner. "Everybody remembers where they were when Dr. King was shot, when President Kennedy was shot, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
"There are these moments -- often times they are around tragedy. This is one of those moments most Americans will remember for the rest of their life, but it's around hope and expectation," Warner said.
"And that's pretty exciting."
Even as Americans rejoiced in bars and living rooms, and top Virginia officials planned to celebrate tonight at an inaugural ball featuring the Grateful Dead, few could forget that the work to change America begins first thing tomorrow morning.
"Let's get going," said Sen. Jim Webb. "Let's get out here and solve these problems. We've got no time to waste, internationally or domestically, and I'm really looking forward to helping solve the problems of the country."
Attorney General Bob McDonnell, the likely Republican nominee for governor, called Obama's inauguration "a milestone in American democracy."
"On the steps of a Capitol building that was constructed in part by slave labor, we saw America taking the kind of monumental step that would be impossible in many other nations," he said.
"The American beacon of liberty, freedom, justice and equality shines brightly at this moment."
Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061 or jnolan@timesdispatch.com.
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