Barack Obama’s inauguration was hardly a triumph of media objectivity, with reporters competing to see who could be the most adoring of the new Messiah-President. As always, the latest edition of MRC’s bi-weekly Notable Quotables newsletter has the most obnoxious liberal media quotes from the last two weeks.

Here’s a sneak peek at a few of the quotes that are contained in the January 26 edition; to see the whole set, you can sign up for the free e-mail newsletter or visit www.MRC.org on Monday (the whole package should be posted by Monday afternoon).

A Day When Even the Seagulls Were Awed

“We know that wind can make a cold day feel colder, but can national pride make a freezing day feel warmer? It seems to be the case because regardless of the final crowd number estimates, never have so many people shivered so long with such joy. From above, even the seagulls must have been awed by the blanket of humanity.”
— ABC’s Bill Weir on World News, January 20.

“What a day it was. It may take days or years to really absorb the significance of what happened to America today....When he [Barack Obama] finally emerged, he seemed, even in this throng, so solitary, somber, perhaps already feeling the weight of the world, even before he was transformed into the leader of the free world....The mass flickering of cell phone cameras on the mall seemed like stars shining back at him.”
— NBC’s Andrea Mitchell on the January 20 Nightly News.

“A new day is dawning here in the nation’s capital on the eve of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States...Does it get any better, or more beautiful, or more spectacular, than this?”
— Co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez opening CBS’s Early Show, January 19.

A Great Day for Objectivity

NBC’s Al Roker: “You know, Brian, I gotta tell ya, it was a very emotional trip....I had tears in my eyes....”
Anchor Brian Williams: “Al, I’d love to tell you that I have no idea what you’re talking about, that everybody here kept their emotions thoroughly in check during the ceremony, but I’d be lying to you, my friend.”
— Exchange during NBC’s live coverage January 20 following Obama’s swearing-in.

Cheney Exiting Like “Dr. Strangelove”

“It’s unfortunate for Vice President Cheney to have had this accident....There will be those who don’t like him, who will be writing tomorrow that he had a Dr. Strangelove appearance as he appeared today in his wheelchair. It’s not something he’ll be happy about.”
— NBC’s Tom Brokaw during live coverage, January 20.

Bush In “Retreat,” Like Executed Russian Czar

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews: “Two or three hours from now, we’ll have a brand new President. He will really be the President. Bush will not be President....It’s going to be like the Romanovs, too, and I mean that. There’s a sense here that they are fallen from grace, that they’re not popular, that the whole family will now go into retreat. You have a sense that the former President Bush already-“
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson: “[It won’t] happen exactly like the Romanovs-“
Matthews: “It’s not like the Romanovs in the end, but there’s a sense of retreat here.”
— Exchange on MSNBC on January 20 about an hour before Obama took the oath of office, referring to the Russian Czar Nicholas II and his family, who were executed after the communist revolution of 1917.

Ordinary Demonstrators vs. “Hardline” Demonstrators

“Demonstrators burn an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur....”
— Reuters photo caption accompanying picture of protest against Israel’s move into Gaza, January 9.

“Hardline demonstrators burn posters of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, during a demonstration in support of the people of Gaza....”
— Reuters photo caption, January 13.

Check www.MRC.org for the entire January 26 edition of Notable Quotables, which contains 30 quotes, five with audio/video links.

—Rich Noyes is Research Director at the Media Research Center.