Home Opinion LETTER: A squirrely inauguration

LETTER: A squirrely inauguration

To the editor:

President Ronald Reagan and the majestically decorated West Front of our nation’s Capitol Building were supposed to be the stars of this long ago weekend.

Instead, it was a fat, brown squirrel with sharp teeth.

Robin and I had been married only a few weeks when I struck upon the coolest way to impress my new bride. Take her to a presidential inauguration. Oh, it was cool, all right — just not as you would expect.

I had spent the early months of 1981 as an intern in the Capitol Hill office of Congressman Charlie Rose of N.C’.s 7th District. That included a ticket to a seat at President Reagan’s first inaugural, about 50 yards in front of the grand podium.

This was the first inauguration held on the Capitol’s West Front, and given the dramatic vista, it’s a wonder that Reagan was the first chief executive to opt for it. Each morning I would depart a D.C. Metrobus at the Federal Triangle stop (Justice Department, Labor Department, etc.) and walk the mile-and-a-half to my office on the House side of the Capitol. Eyeing the preparations underway for the Jan. 20 ceremony added to the excitement.

Four years later, I still had a contact in Rep. Rose’s office, and secured a couple of tickets to the 1985 inaugural. President Reagan had just walloped former Vice President Walter Mondale in a huge landslide victory and his popularity was riding high. We arrived in Washington on Friday, Jan. 18, for some sight-seeing and fun — all of it to be capped by the swearing-in on Monday. Robin would love it!

Until.

Jan. 18 and 19, 1985, were nice, seasonal days for us there, with temperatures in the 30s. We have long joked about Robin’s penchant for adventure — both the planned and unplanned varieties. On Jan. 19 she did not disappoint as my wife became case number “ER254231798” at George Washington University Medical Center. Yes, the same facility that treated President Reagan after he was wounded in a March 30, 1981 assassination attempt. I don’t know Mr. Reagan’s case number, but I’m sure the “Provisional Diagnosis” on his admission form did not list “squirrel bite R thumb.”

Less than an hour earlier, Robin had purchased a small package of nuts near the Lincoln Memorial, intending to establish friendship with some of the furry tailed Sciuridae that lurk about near the marble feet of our 16th president. One of them — appearing nicely-fed to me — approached and figured that a bit of live meat must’ve been included. Thus, our trip to GW Medical Center for treatment, and some stifled chuckles.

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By late morning of Jan. 20, we were in the grip of a “polar express” front that surrounded us in Arctic conditions. The Capitol quickly found itself under a thick blanket of snow with temperatures around 15F and dropping. Wind chills chased the mercury to 0F, and below. With a howling, frosty wind blowing outside our hotel that evening, Robin and I watched the Super Bowl between San Francisco and Miami. Game time conditions in Palo Alto, California were overcast and cool at 55F. We were jealous.

President Reagan was privately sworn into his second term earlier that Sunday; the ceremonial oath was planned for Monday, Jan. 21. Alas, it was moved into the Capitol rotunda. Our names did not make it to THAT guest list! Robin was disappointed, but understanding — I think she appreciated the effort.

President-elect Donald Trump made the right call in moving this year’s inaugural inside the Capitol. Political wags may have some fun with that, but I think the man has matured beyond the 2017 contretemps over crowd size at that inaugural. Besides, the new president with the outsized personality is not going to be upstaged … even by a fat, brown squirrel with sharp teeth.

Douglas Smith
Rockingham