The pull-out of troops in Gaza seems more convenient for the IDF than it does for the Obama administration. The IDF has more to gain from the diverted news attention of the inauguration than it does from allowing President Obama a break in foreign policy disputes.  View

I enjoyed the coverage of the inauguration today. I think my roommates and I were tuned into WGN and the field reporter did a great job interviewing the crowd and getting diverse perspective from today's attendees. Opinions were taken from a range including elderly ladies from Missouri and an Irish teen. Overall, there was an optimistic and respectful feeling, without the media leaning a certain way. I believe this approach pertained to a large audience and spanned generations.  View

While watching the inauguration on several different channels, I was surprised of the overall tone of the coverage. Regardless of the specific network, the tone seemed very positive and neutral not swaying one way or the other. I hope that in the coming days regular news coverage on these networks sticks with this tone.  View

What I really enjoyed about the coverage of this inauguration was that I could watch it live on my computer screen and be exposed to more content (like the speeches) and less punditry than if I had watched it on the evening news. There is nothing more irritating than a too brief clip of a speech you actually want to see that is followed by the waffling of a suit with questionable qualifications. The networks did a good job during the day, but I missed the night side broadcasts to avoid the excessive punditry in the first place.  View

"Holy Weapons"? Wow...Cult of Mendez stuff [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_the_Planet_of_the_Apes]. This is seriously messed up. Fascinating how the IDF really is timing this to coincide with Obama's inauguration.  View

Interesting that, while there is such optimism in many places across the globe concerning Obama's Inauguration, Iran is taking a more pessimistic view. Hope this isn't an indication that diplomacy between Iran and the new administration is already out of the question.  View