Opinion: First plastic African American President Obama sworn in

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Don’t know how we missed a story this little earlier today. But it seems Barack Obama has already been sworn into office -- in Legoland.

According to our brash pal Brady McDonald over at the Daily Travel & Deal blog, the toymaker-turned-theme park in Carlsbad, Calif., had a small-scale swearing-in ceremony today. And everything fit together quite well in that parallel plastic universe.

It was, however, very colorful (or for our Canadian, U.K. and Aussie readers, very colourful). And the very first time Americans have elected a plastic African American president.

Our other friend, Jimmy Orr over on the fun Vote blog, has his usually clever take on this blockhead ceremony here.

However, both bloggers had trouble getting the little plastic Joe Biden to stop talking. (Did you notice, btw, the new vice president doesn’t get an inaugural address? One, we’d be there till dark Inauguration Day and, two, by Tuesday night, Biden should be en route to his first foreign funeral for the new president.)

Maybe you too are surprised at how American businesses are commercializing something as trivial as an historic presidential inauguration after a mere, what, 233 years of history. Next thing you know blogs will put Barack Obama’s name online to attract readers and newspapers will sell special Obama edition memorabilia and front pages.

Oh, wait. Our employer already did that.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of selling Obama stuff, we’ll have loads of free coverage of the real Obama inauguration and the new administration. Register here for cellphone alerts on each new Ticket item. RSS feeds are also available here. And we’re now on Amazon’s Kindle as well.