Only about 800,000 people filled the National Mall on Tuesday to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office. Not even a million people -- according to Slate, that is.

Using satellite images, an Arizona State University professor calculated that about 800,000 people attended the inauguration Tuesday—considerably fewer than the AP estimate (based on photographs and comparison with past events) and less than half the Washington Post number (based primarily on security agencies on the ground). <link>

Umm . . . well it was damned cold and nobody was handing out any free chickens or pots to cook them in. Nothing to see here folks. Move along.

So, when do we think our Obama adoring press will stop with the lies and exaggerations meant to make Obama out to be more than he really is? Is this sort of "Millions of people crowded the mall to celebrate the inaguration," crapola going to be the standard operating procedure for the forseeable future?

Pssssst . . . next time the national press proclaims something fantastic regarding your political messiah, take it with a grain of salt.

When my family took us kids fishing for carp near Corning in the river, we would get on the bridge and look for them working the bottom. They were easy to spot since they were bottom feeders and the brown trails leaving them betrayed their positions perfectly. The way to catch them was to throw canned corn upstream of them. Then you would run to the bank, throw some kernels on a hook and throw it upstream right into the CHUM line. Worked every time. Bringing them in though was a different story.

That's your source? You're right chummer. "Nothing to see here folks. Move along."

Were you this vocal about the press when they were treating George W. Bush like the second coming of Winston Churchill?

the thousands of people trapped in the Purple Tunnel of Doom. Also, ASU is going to lose millions in state funding as soon as the new governor puts down her coffee and her fingers stop shaking long enough for her to sign the new budget and the rumor is that they will deep-six the Walter Cronkite Daycare Center for Bloggers entirely, so I'm guessing Mr. Doig is just looking for a few news-clippings to add to the resume.

Why do you hate America?

Know what? You could always move to Canada. Conservatives still rule there.

to be embarrassed for yourself, I'll generously be embarrassed on your behalf.

No, no, no need to thank me. It's the least I can do.

.

Ummm...isn't part of your usual rant that the media used their mind-control techniques to make people vote for Obama. I mean it seems like if the media has that kind of power then there should have been a lot more people there.

Pssssst . . . next time the national press proclaims something fantastic regarding your political messiah, take it with a grain of salt.

Ouch! I bet THAT one hurt!

Well done.

Even though my responding to this particular post is going to irk either daveto or inkberrow into observing that I suck worse at quitting the Fray than Cic/Haut, I am going to nontheless accept that as the very small comparative price I'll have to pay in order to tell you that you have a great sense of humor and an equally great sense of timing and appropriateness.

Nice to see your byline around here again, particularly since I've never seen you grabby for front-page space.

Appreciate that.

you suck at reading comprehension.