Coronation Plans

Pageantry Planned for Bush Inauguration:

...But that is not expected to alter the elaborate rituals by which the nation installs its president. For Bush's second inauguration, those rituals provide a regal subtext, the crown jewel in the Bush political dynasty: His father, George H. W. Bush, was inaugurated twice as vice president, in 1981 and 1985, and once as president, in 1989.

With 21-gun salutes, fancy-dress balls and tighter-than-ever security, the day will resemble nothing so much as a coronation.

"We don't have the unifying effect of a king or queen. As a result, over the centuries America has developed traditions that encourage stability and public confidence. That's what an inauguration is," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Am I the only one made physically ill by the vision of King George II (U.S.) riding a gilded chariot down Pa. Avenue to The People's House?