Obama inauguration concert on the mall

Washington DC today reminded me of the streets of Bangkok during the first days of the coup in 2006. The streets were closed to traffic. Humvees had been parked at every intersection manned by GIs.

The first two photos capture the US military presence in the capital.

1. Soldiers gather in near the World War II memorial (completed in 2006). The camouflage made them very hard to see.

2. One of the highest points in DC is the Washington Monument. Soldiers seated on top of trucks scanned the horizon (for what I'm not sure).

3. A large crowd had gathered to watch performers in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

4. People in front of the Washington monument.