Ann McFeatters, guest commentary

The people who view the world from the far right have an amazing ability to see conspiracy in everything President Obama does. Take the “Inbox” letter of Sunday, Jan. 20, claiming that something didn’t smell right when the President was sworn in on Sunday in private.

NEW YORK - BET and TV One, the television networks aimed primarily at a black audience, haven't paid much attention to presidential inaugurations before. This time will be different.

The sense of history that accompanies the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president is particularly keen for John Chiazza of Gilbert.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama had a simple message for Republicans in Congress: Do it my way.

Could it be there is a politico agenda regards the President’s White House ‘private’ swearing in, Sunday the 20th, and it not being held at the Capitol? The Constitution dictates the President is to be sworn in on the 20th of January which falls on a Sunday this year. Since there is to be no connection between “church” & “state”, could it be the public ceremony at the Capitol, planned for the 21st, Martin Luther King Day, is part of a hidden agenda? Sure smells that way.

We had known for weeks that Tuesday’s presidential inauguration would be a day marked by flag-waving patriotism and sacred tradition — a shining moment of world history when once again our nation peacefully passed the reins of power from one administration to the next.

We’re hastily approaching the countdown to both political parties’ National Conventions. The Republicans will meet in Tampa, Fla. on Aug. 27-30 and the Democrats gather on Sept. 3-6 in Charlotte, N.C. I’m thrilled, excited and honored to be attending the DNC in Charlotte as one of Arizona’s 76 Democratic Delegates as we join with delegates from across America to nominate current sitting President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON -- The Electoral College is an obscure and little understood part of every presidential election, but it is taking center stage in this year's neck-and-neck race for the White House between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

WASHINGTON - Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, saying the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

WASHINGTON – Middle school students from Tucson woke before sunrise Monday so they could compete with hundreds of thousands for a seat on the National Mall to see the presidential inauguration.

WASHINGTON - George W. Bush swore the presidential oath for a second term in turbulent times Thursday and issued a sweeping pledge to spread liberty and freedom "to the darkest corners of the world."

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Top Clinton administration officials, both Presidents Bush, rock stars and ordinary admirers of Bill Clinton turned out Thursday to pay homage to "a man of compassion" at the opening of the Clinton Presidential Center.

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea said its army remained on alert Sunday, a day after North Korea threatened military action in response to Seoul's hard-line stance against its communist regime.

WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's wife said Monday that he had his pick of being Barack Obama's running mate or the secretary of state nomination that eventually went to Hillary Rodham Clinton, a slip that the vice president-elect immediately tried to shush.

WASHINGTON - As the election draws nearer, U.S. officials are increasingly concerned al-Qaida terrorists will attempt to mount a devastating attack to disrupt the political process.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama won re-election Tuesday night despite a fierce challenge from Republican Mitt Romney, prevailing in the face of a weak economy and high unemployment that encumbered his first term and crimped the middle class dreams of millions.

The unsightly realities of contemporary Mexico — its endemic corruption, its status as a mega-supplier of illegal drugs, and the exodus and illegal entry of much of its population into the United States — have put our southern neighbor in a notably bad odor here.

Memo to the Obama campaign: It's too early to start measuring the drapes.

Thanksgiving and national elections are held during the same month in this country, a coincidence that we should all especially take note of this year.

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina - More than 1,000 demonstrators angry about President Bush's policies clashed with police, shattered storefronts and torched businesses Friday.

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina - A crowd of 10,000 protesters chanting "Get out Bush!" swarmed the streets of this Argentine resort Friday, hours before the hemisphere's leaders sat down to debate free trade, immigration and job creation.

Many of us know them only as the stuffy portraits on the walls of our childhood classrooms. But America’s presidents are a fascinating, eclectic lot: Some brought genius to the office, some forged greatness in the crucible of Washington politics, and some were freakier than a carnival sideshow.

Many of us know them only as the stuffy portraits on the walls of our childhood classrooms. But America’s presidents are a fascinating, eclectic lot: Some brought genius to the office, some forged greatness in the crucible of Washington politics, and some were freakier than a carnival sideshow.