With the recent election of Barack Obama, the White House is in full transition phase. I can't stop thinking about the word “interregnum” - which in my Webster's New World Dictionary is defined as “an interval between two successive reigns, when the country has no sovereign.” Of course, the United States government is not a monarchy, so the definition is somewhat ill-fitting. We didn't elect Obama as the King of America, he's just the President – which is a cool enough job.
And Obama will be inaugurated on January 20, 2009, he's only “President-elect” right now. There is only one president at a time and we still have to live with George W. Bush as Prez. Fuck. But it won't be too long until we get another White House and a chance to reverse the direction of this country. Yeah, there isn't exactly a vacant seat at the White House – just a vacant President. I kid, I love Dubya. What a guy, huh?
Archetypically, the word “interregnum” is know for the transition of power between monarchs. There is an old English saying, “The king is dead, long live the King!” This phrase was to emphasize the importance of continuity in government. The American Prez ain't dead, just a lame duck. Yes, that's right, no dead kings but just a White House on life support.
No comments:
Post a Comment