Even cold, wet weather could not keep Bush's supporters and critics away

WASHINGTON - "Umbrellas down! Umbrellas down!"

In the muddy mosh pit of the Capitol Lawn, even the well-heeled, fur-coated and cowboy-booted supporters of George W. Bush felt their tempers rising as they worked hard to see their man sworn in yesterday as the 43rd United States President.

There were too many umbrellas, dealing with a spitting, cold rain. There were too many spectators craning for a glimpse of the actual swearing-in. There were too many foolish outerwear choices to keep everyone comfortable.

For most folks in a designated tickets-only standing-room area northeast of the Capitol, there was no question of seeing Bush put his hand on the Bible and become the next chief executive.

Many could not even see the huge, Jumbotron video screen meant to capture the event for those in the free-to-the-public areas at the bottom of the hill.

The cry of "Umbrellas down!" was heard when anyone moved; miraculously, despite the rain, many spectators dropped their umbrellas and got wet in the name of domestic tranquillity.

All was not sweetness and light, however.

When Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican who was in charge of the inauguration, told the crowd: "Please be seated so we can begin," one woman in a full-length fur and a cowboy hat muttered grimly: "Yeah, right!" as she walked away.

Envious glances were cast at the many empty folding chairs in the reserved seating section on the other side of a flimsy fence.

The proportion of fur coats to hiking boots was about one to one, sometimes in the same outfit. Plastic ponchos were also popular but warm footwear appeared to be wanting.

"I know I have feet down there," one man said as he walked away from the ceremony while Bush continued his inaugural address. "I know they're down there but I just can't feel them." He was in a stream of departures that began as Bush was speaking.

But neither the weather nor a distant view of the events dimmed the enthusiasm of Mona Rust and Roy Ferguson, both Federal Government employees who enjoyed their first inauguration.

Why did they come? "Because George Bush won," said Rust. "Of course we couldn't get close to anything. And there were some protesters near where we were and they were shouting ... "

But others shouted back, said Ferguson. "It was just fun banter."

Doug Garlinger, an engineer for a Christian broadcasting company in Indiana, was one who cheered at a nearby bar and restaurant when the management switched the television from the Duke-Georgia Tech college basketball game to coverage of the inauguration.

"This is a substantial change in the direction of our nation's character," said Garlinger. The weather did not faze him. "I was just very happy that it wasn't colder."

Garlinger came alone to Washington from his home in Noblesville to see the inauguration, his first. As a "strong Bush supporter," he showed his pride in Indiana by likening the new president to another son of Indiana.

"Some people say George W. Bush is just Dan Quayle with an attitude," he said. Garlinger said he saw this as a compliment to Bush.

One group taunted Bush supporters, shouting: "You're racist, you're sexist, you must be from Texas."

To which the supporters shouted back: "George W. Bush, George W. Bush."

Protesters loudly booed the inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Ave, shouting, "shame, shame, shame."

Some made obscene gestures at parade marchers.

Supporters looked dejected as protesters screamed abuse at the new president, including chants of: "Racist, sexist anti-gay: Bush and Cheney go away."

The inauguration crowd showed its displeasure with the outgoing Administration by loudly booing when former First Lady and US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared on the Jumbotron. There were also faint boos for former President Bill Clinton.

But even the applause for the new President and his circle was muffled, at least in part because the sound of gloved hands clapping in the rain is quieter than the sound of bare hands clapping on a clear day.

On a nearby Metro train, jam-packed with young protesters practising anti-Bush chants, a trio of Bush supporters commented acidly on their surroundings.

"What time are the Clintons leaving the White House so the place can be fumigated?" one said.

- REUTERS

Herald Online feature: Election aftermath

Map: final results across the USA

Bush-Cheney transition website