Organizing for America | Mike Underwood's Blog: Overseas Questions about the Inauguration

Overseas Questions about the Inauguration

By Mike Underwood - Jan 25th, 2009 at 3:59 pm EST

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I have gotten questions from the UK about why foreign dignitaries were not more visible at the swearing-in ceremony. Where any present? Any representatives of the British Royal Family, for instance? Did Nelson Mandela attend? If not, why not?

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Mandela | Report to Admin

By Torgny V.O.B. Jan 25th 2009 at 6:44 pm EST (Updated Jan 25th 2009 at 6:44 pm EST)

Nelson Mandela was on the list of terrorists up to a year ago. Maybe secret service is still afraid of him.

Re: Mandela | Report to Admin

By Mike Underwood Jan 26th 2009 at 12:46 pm EST (Updated Jan 26th 2009 at 12:46 pm EST)

Surely not! I found this blog post Link however, with interesting observations about Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga:

"Softly and quietly the word from the Obama camp was that while Kenyans have trumpeted themselves hoarse over ownership of Obama and moved to rehabilitate his family in record time. Obama is quite clear that he is first an American. And that Kenya will find its place in official US foreign policy. Sorry guys. No special favours.

Government officials have been scratching their heads to see how they can play out this embarrassment. Only 240,000 tickets are available for the presidential inauguration. The majority of them will go to American high flyers especially those who oil the democratic party machinery. Others will go to foreign dignitaries. For example the British premier may get 50 for himself and his delegation. The Queen of England may receive another 10 and so on. It is unclear whether any African head of state has got one. Mandela probably.

It is not lost on America that the two Kenyan gentlemen were behind atrocities that claimed the lives of well over 5000 of kenyans and are still having a possible date with the Hague. Not to mention the Waki probe yet to start and their being in charge of one of the most notoriously corrupt governments in Africa.

There are a limited number of tickets that are for sale. These go for US$ 50,000 a piece. And money is not enough, to get one you must have the right connections.

The Kenyan government are in a dilemma because if the buy, then those who don't get will spill the beans that they wasted taxpayers money to go to an event they were not invited to. Also it would be a major embarrassment to those who have claimed to be a step away from Obama yet now they cannot even go for his inauguration.

Meanwhile the Kogelo clan have been feted at the invitation of the Saudi Royal Family then the King of Jordan and are now on their way to the US where they will attend the inauguration."

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