It began with a nervous giggle—a reminder of the awkward Hawaiian schoolboy who, against unthinkable odds, had grown up to be the 44th President of the United States. And yet as Barack Obama stood to take his oath of office in front of 2 million people (and a TV audience of up to 2.5 billion) it wasn’t exactly clear what had caused him to lose his cool. All you could see was him mouthing to his wife, “I think that was for you,” as an official carried away a First Lady-sized podium (she doesn’t need one, as she’s almost six feet tall).

It was a relief, in a way, to learn that even ‘No-Drama Obama’ could become flustered amid an event of such incomprehensible scale. Still, his subsequent fluffing of the oath—read to him by the Bush-appointed Chief Justice John G. Roberts—is likely to cause toes to curl in Obamalot for some years to come. “I, Barack Hussein Obama,” the new President blurted, cutting off Roberts in mid-sentence, before the Chief Justice could reach the part about swearing solemnly.

The rest of it didn’t go very well, either.

After allowing Roberts to (mis-)read the entirety of the second clause—“that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully”—Obama promptly forgot what he had just been told, and needed to be prompted. This was enough to throw off Roberts, who then repeated the convoluted words in the wrong order. It wasn’t until half-way through this disconcertingly Bushesque double act that the two men finally managed to get themselves in sync. In the background, George W. didn’t appear to be trying very hard to swallow a smirk. He probably wanted to tap Obama on the shoulder and say to him, “See? Not as easy as it looks, is it, Mr Hot Shot?” It’s probably fair to say, however, that the oath was the only part of Obama’s inauguration that Bush could conceivably have enjoyed. For a start, Dick Cheney had turned up in a wheelchair, providing Americans with a helpful metaphor as to the state of the outgoing administration, not to mention the country. The fact that the injury was self-inflicted—the ex-Veep had been unpacking boxes—only heightened its aptness.

And while Obama referenced his predecessor with apparent graciousness in the opening sentences of his address—“I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation that he has shown throughout this transition”—the rest of his speech was such a ferocious indictment on the previous eight years that he might as well have added, “It’s just a bit of a shame that you squandered America’s reputation overseas, trashed the economy, abused your power, started two wars, and brought the planet to the brink of apocalypse”.

During the harshest passages of Obama’s speech (it was surprisingly—and welcomingly—short on the Democratic Party’s favourite weapon, schmaltz), you could see Bush’s grimace tighten, as though his face were collecting ice. His shoulders, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to hunch forward into the fetal position within his heavy trench coat. All the while, Cheney looked on from his wheelchair—a visual coda to the plaster that George W. Bush wore on his face after the disputed 2000 election (a result, according to legend, of an infected boil).

“We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” boomed Obama, as if he were a teacher scolding a child. “Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do what we please.” And then the final twist of the knife: “We are ready to lead once more!” The crowd, for its part, screamed and wept. And as Obama’s confidence gathered—as the flinch-inducing memory of the oath was banished—his one-liners sharpened. To the world’s dictators: “We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist!” To terrorists: “You cannot outlast us and we will defeat you!” And (presumably) to Paris Hilton: “The path of America is not for those who prefer leisure over work, or who seek only the pleasures or riches of fame.” References to race were brief but powerful, including his observation that “a man whose father might not have been served in a local restaurant can now take our most sacred oath”.

Soon after he said that, a camera crew from CNN zoomed in on the face of a black man in the crowd.

He promptly yawned. The most profound display of the entire day’s proceedings, perhaps, of just what this former awkward Hawaiian schoolboy has achieved.

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