American Affairs Desk: Ceremonial First Shoe

Barack Obama throwing out the ceremonial first shoe.By Mark Kaufman

The inauguration is over. Barack Obama is the 44th President of the USA. I am honored to throw out the ceremonial first shoe. Does he deserve it? Has he angered the base yet? Has the new administration embarassed the nation in the eyes of the world to justify a shoe toss? No, no, and no. However, all honeymoons must end, all relationships have rocky patches, and all of the commentariat, writers, artists, cartoonists must throw away the rose colored glasses and tell it like it is. The ceremonial first shoe is my own way of making that break between being a doctrinaire supporter and an honest and evenhanded observer of the political and cultural landscape. A biased observer to be sure, we all have our proclivities and political leanings, but I hope a detached and fair witness.