thedrifter
01-13-09, 07:45 AM
January 12, 2009
Obama, Biden stand-ins shiver through D.C. dawn to rehearse inauguration
Go to courierpostonline.com/yourprez to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama
BY NICOLE GAUDIANO AND RACHEL KIPP THE NEWS JOURNAL
WASHINGTON -- Ever wonder what it would be like to be president-elect on Inauguration Day?
It's cold, for one thing, standing on the podium on the U.S. Capitol terrace. But the view is "a beautiful sight," said Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Brooks, the stand-in for Barack Obama during a Sunday morning rehearsal of the Jan. 20 ceremony.
Brooks and other members of the military substituting for the Obamas, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family got to experience some of the inauguration's pomp and circumstance -- minus the worry of governing the country -- during multiple practice sessions overlooking the National Mall and the Washington Monument at dawn.
"I'm just honored to be a part of this historical moment," said Brooks, a 26-year-old supply logistician from Fayetteville, N.C., who has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Stand-ins were chosen for their height, gender and race so that adjustments could be made to cameras and the platform. Standing 6 feet 2 and weighing 185 pounds, Brooks was told he kind of looks like Obama. But the real president-elect noted a key difference when he met his likeness last week.
"He said my ears aren't as big as his," Brooks said.
Brooks and Biden's surrogate, Army Spc. Nicholas Rupple, are both assigned to military intelligence units at Fort Meade, Md.
"It was definitely something memorable, something I'll be able to tell my children when I get older," said Rupple, 24, of Fairfax, Va., who wouldn't be mistaken for the Delaware Democrat, save for his height.
Though the stars of the show were missing, the performance drew at least 200 reporters and about 100 bundled-up and shivering spectators. From their vantage point, the key players were only specks against the white-domed building. But with millions expected to descend on the city for the inauguration, several saw Sunday as the best opportunity to see the event with their own eyes.
"Pure insanity" was Jennifer Richmond's explanation for getting up at dawn to watch.
"But chances are, for the actual event, I'll be way down there," the D.C. resident said, waving a hand toward the National Mall.
Richmond and friend Rachel Mercado said their excitement over Obama is because he's part of "the new generation."
"He's one of me, a first-generation American. My parents are from the Philippines," Mercado said. "And what about Joe Biden? He's pretty cool."
Big production
Almost 50 federal, state and local agencies participated in the rehearsal, a dry run of the swearing-in ceremony, President Bush's departure and the newly inaugurated Obama's review of the troops. About 3,000 people, most of them military, participated in the parade dress rehearsal on Pennsylvania Avenue. That's a fraction of the 13,000 who will march on Jan. 20.
With security tighter than ever, potentially freezing weather and worldwide attention, participants were told to toss out everything they know about inaugurations, said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kristin Mergen, a Marine Band spokeswoman.
"This time is a whole new ball game," she said. "What to expect is the unexpected."
Stand-ins for Biden's children Hunter and Ashley Biden were the first of the Obama-Biden surrogates to emerge on the Capitol terrace, followed by stand-ins for Obama's young daughters, Malia and Sasha. Biden's son Beau, Delaware's attorney general, will be serving in Iraq with his Army National Guardunit on Inauguration Day, a Biden spokeswoman said.
The service members playing wives Michelle Obama and Jill Biden walked out together while the Biden and Obama stand-ins later walked out alone.
Biden's stand-in, flanked by his faux family members, was sworn in first, with Rupple raising his right hand and saying, "I do solemnly swear. So help me God," into the microphone.
Brooks later had his turn: "My fellow Americans. God bless America."
After the ceremony, Marines practiced landing the Marine One helicopter, which will carry Bush to Andrews Air Force Base.
The temperature seemed to drop as the "Obamas" and "Bidens" reviewed hundreds of marching ceremonial troops, prompting a frozen band of reporters to daydream of a springtime inauguration.
"I've got two pairs of long johns, seven pairs of socks and a hat under this hat and I'm still cold," announced CBS cameraman Dan Tutman.
But attending the rehearsal was worth it for Aya Imaida, a D.C.-based reporter for Nippon TV in Tokyo.
The president-elect is popular with her viewers, who will be discussing whether the fake Obama looks like the real one, she said.
"The job [losses] and financial crisis is very serious in Tokyo," she said. "The people in Tokyo feel the same as people here: Hope. They're hoping for change."
Ellie
Obama, Biden stand-ins shiver through D.C. dawn to rehearse inauguration
Go to courierpostonline.com/yourprez to congratulate President-elect Barack Obama
BY NICOLE GAUDIANO AND RACHEL KIPP THE NEWS JOURNAL
WASHINGTON -- Ever wonder what it would be like to be president-elect on Inauguration Day?
It's cold, for one thing, standing on the podium on the U.S. Capitol terrace. But the view is "a beautiful sight," said Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Brooks, the stand-in for Barack Obama during a Sunday morning rehearsal of the Jan. 20 ceremony.
Brooks and other members of the military substituting for the Obamas, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family got to experience some of the inauguration's pomp and circumstance -- minus the worry of governing the country -- during multiple practice sessions overlooking the National Mall and the Washington Monument at dawn.
"I'm just honored to be a part of this historical moment," said Brooks, a 26-year-old supply logistician from Fayetteville, N.C., who has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Stand-ins were chosen for their height, gender and race so that adjustments could be made to cameras and the platform. Standing 6 feet 2 and weighing 185 pounds, Brooks was told he kind of looks like Obama. But the real president-elect noted a key difference when he met his likeness last week.
"He said my ears aren't as big as his," Brooks said.
Brooks and Biden's surrogate, Army Spc. Nicholas Rupple, are both assigned to military intelligence units at Fort Meade, Md.
"It was definitely something memorable, something I'll be able to tell my children when I get older," said Rupple, 24, of Fairfax, Va., who wouldn't be mistaken for the Delaware Democrat, save for his height.
Though the stars of the show were missing, the performance drew at least 200 reporters and about 100 bundled-up and shivering spectators. From their vantage point, the key players were only specks against the white-domed building. But with millions expected to descend on the city for the inauguration, several saw Sunday as the best opportunity to see the event with their own eyes.
"Pure insanity" was Jennifer Richmond's explanation for getting up at dawn to watch.
"But chances are, for the actual event, I'll be way down there," the D.C. resident said, waving a hand toward the National Mall.
Richmond and friend Rachel Mercado said their excitement over Obama is because he's part of "the new generation."
"He's one of me, a first-generation American. My parents are from the Philippines," Mercado said. "And what about Joe Biden? He's pretty cool."
Big production
Almost 50 federal, state and local agencies participated in the rehearsal, a dry run of the swearing-in ceremony, President Bush's departure and the newly inaugurated Obama's review of the troops. About 3,000 people, most of them military, participated in the parade dress rehearsal on Pennsylvania Avenue. That's a fraction of the 13,000 who will march on Jan. 20.
With security tighter than ever, potentially freezing weather and worldwide attention, participants were told to toss out everything they know about inaugurations, said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kristin Mergen, a Marine Band spokeswoman.
"This time is a whole new ball game," she said. "What to expect is the unexpected."
Stand-ins for Biden's children Hunter and Ashley Biden were the first of the Obama-Biden surrogates to emerge on the Capitol terrace, followed by stand-ins for Obama's young daughters, Malia and Sasha. Biden's son Beau, Delaware's attorney general, will be serving in Iraq with his Army National Guardunit on Inauguration Day, a Biden spokeswoman said.
The service members playing wives Michelle Obama and Jill Biden walked out together while the Biden and Obama stand-ins later walked out alone.
Biden's stand-in, flanked by his faux family members, was sworn in first, with Rupple raising his right hand and saying, "I do solemnly swear. So help me God," into the microphone.
Brooks later had his turn: "My fellow Americans. God bless America."
After the ceremony, Marines practiced landing the Marine One helicopter, which will carry Bush to Andrews Air Force Base.
The temperature seemed to drop as the "Obamas" and "Bidens" reviewed hundreds of marching ceremonial troops, prompting a frozen band of reporters to daydream of a springtime inauguration.
"I've got two pairs of long johns, seven pairs of socks and a hat under this hat and I'm still cold," announced CBS cameraman Dan Tutman.
But attending the rehearsal was worth it for Aya Imaida, a D.C.-based reporter for Nippon TV in Tokyo.
The president-elect is popular with her viewers, who will be discussing whether the fake Obama looks like the real one, she said.
"The job [losses] and financial crisis is very serious in Tokyo," she said. "The people in Tokyo feel the same as people here: Hope. They're hoping for change."
Ellie