Inauguration Day 2009 Tickets: How Do You Get Them?

On November 4th, 2008, we witnessed history. On January 20th, 2009, we will again witness history, as on that day Barack Obama, the first African-American president in U.S. history, will be inaugurated. But some have asked: do you need tickets to attend Inauguration Day 2009?
The actual inauguration has traditionally taken place at 12 noon on the official Inauguration Day, which is defined to be January 20th. It takes place at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (John Roberts, in this case) administering the oath of office.
From Martin Van Buren through Jimmy Carter, the ceremony took place on the Capitol’s East Portico; since 1981, the ceremony has been held at the Capitol’s West Front.
Officials have made arrangements to get 30,000 chairs set up on Inauguration Day near the West Front. And its true: you do need a ticket. But an Inauguration Day 2009 ticket will be hard to come by, and hard to counterfeit, at least for now.
In fact, there will be approximately 240,000 Inauguration Day 2009 tickets printed, but officials, due to security reasons, won’t say what they will look like — or even the color. I vote for the color blue, myself. And a tip: no umbrellas, also due to security reasons.
If the general public wants to get their hands on one of these Inauguration Day 2009 tickets, they will have to ask, beg or plead with their senators or Congressional representatives.
Hotels are, of course, going to be booked solid, so if you want to go, besides the begging for tickets, you might need to beg for a room.
History will be made. And there’s no doubt, despite Barack Obama’s famous eloquence, that the most historic words he will say that day, January 20th, 2009, will be:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”