Crònica des de Washington

Mentre veia l'helicopter de Bush abandonar definitivament el Capitoli, un reporter del Congressional Quarterly m'ha demanat fer-me una entrevista. Aquest és el resultat:


For a European, Nothing Like a U.S. Inauguration
By CQ Staff | January 20, 2009 1:46 PM
Martí Grau-Segú, (Alex Wayne/CQ)

Martí Grau-Segú, 36, one of 54 Spanish members of the European Parliament, missed Tuesday's inauguration speech because of the crowds, but is still honored to have come to Washington for the event.

And he believes Europeans in general are pleased that Obama has taken office.

"We really had a lot of problems with the previous administration," he said. "For us, it's an opportunity to re-unite with the U.S. on the world stage."

Grau-Segu attended the inauguration at the invitation of his father-in-law, Mark Vogelzang of Burlington, Vt. The two had tickets for up-front viewing spots through Vogelzang's congressman, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., but were refused entry when the area filled up, apparently along with thousands of other ticket holders.

In Europe, Grau-Segú says, there is nothing like a U.S. presidential inauguration. It's a "unique event in the world," he says. The most similar event he can recall was a massive protest against the Iraq War in his hometown of Barcelona -- "that was maybe a million" people, he said, yet the tenor was completely different.

Grau-Segú said he expects Obama's administration to be more cooperative with other nations on measures to control climate change. He's hopeful that Obama will sign the Kyoto protocol to reduce carbon emissions, which President Bush would not do. And he's hoping for a quick end to the Iraq War.
-- Alex Wayne