(Photo: Newseum.org)

This morning, the New York Post's cover featured the power couple of President Barack Obama's second inauguration--Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z--under a headline accusing Washington pols of being more starstruck by the celebrity duo than by Mr. Obama himself. Not everyone agrees with that interpretation, however, including GOP Rep. Pete King, pictured snapping a photo of Ms. Knowles. In a CNN interview today, Mr. King said the Post actually had it backwards, and Ms. Knowles was the one basking in his presence.

"It's a great moment for Beyoncé to be seen with me," Mr. King joked. "I mean, her career is definitely going to take off. That's what she was waiting for all these years."

Mr. King further boosted his photography skills, claiming to be "very talented" and, on Twitter, said his photo was “award winning."

During his television interview, Mr. King discussed the substance of Mr. Obama's inaugural address as well, arguing it was too campaign-oriented and lacked a unifying message.

"Well, the president won the election, so he's certainly entitled to pursue his agenda. I thought it would have been more effective though if he had spoken in more thematic terms," Mr. King explained. "I thought the way he got specific yesterday, made it more of a ... campaign-type address. Parts of it were very good, he's an excellent speaker obviously....I thought yesterday, he missed an opportunity. I'm not as critical as some of the others may be, but I think it would have better for him if he tried to reach out a little more."

Watch below:

Inaugural Cheez Its.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For most Americans, the phrase Inaugural Ball conjures up images of the commander in chief and first lady clad in full evening dress taking a waltz on the dance floor. If you'd like to maintain that illusion of grandeur when 2016 rolls around, Politicker humbly suggests you stay home and watch the festivities on television, because the reality is far less glamorous. Last night's main Inaugural Ball was like a low rent prom complete with a gym-like venue, chips standing in for hors d'oeuvres and 80's music. Amid all these cut-rate accoutrements and incongruously overdressed guests, we also spotted a basketball legend, a dancing congresswoman and, of course, the president.

The route into the ball, which was held inside the Washington Convention Center, took guests decked out in black tie through a number of security checkpoints that left them waiting in lines stretching for blocks outside. Once in the ball, the situation wasn't much better. Escalators took guests down into a cavernous hall that, apart from a few light displays and several presidential seals people lined up to pose in front of, had few decorations to disguise the fact the space was essentially a massive cement hangar.

Though the crowd was wearing their finest and paid about $200 for the privilege of attending, the only food they were treated to was two varieties of pretzels and Cheez Its on paper plates. We spotted at least one guest snapping photos of the chip buffet.

"No one is going to believe they had Cheez Its at the ball!" she exclaimed.

Those who wished to imbibe needed to endure a lengthy wait to purchase drink tickets before a separate long line at the cash bar.

Musical acts performed on a stage in one corner of the room, but you probably had a better view at home as most areas of the huge convention hall had no view of the stage and most ball guests were trapped in line for drinks long enough to miss a substantial portion of the show. Highlights of the concert included Alicia Keys, who performed a remixed version of her hit "Girl On Fire" that must have alarmed the Secret Service agents in attendance.

"Obama's on fire," she sang. "Obama's on fire."

When President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, took the stage for their ceremonial dance, Jennifer Hudson performed a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." Their appearance caused guests to surge towards the stage or any corner of the room where they could get a glimpse of the first couple.

Initially, we didn't see any high-profile guests in the crowd, but after wandering the massive room we found a cordoned off area for "special guests." This elite section of the ball featured the same sad Cheez It and pretzel spread, but at least the drinks were free. Like a vision from a fever dream, we suddenly saw Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, who seemed to be have the only celebrity in the crowd, attempting to order a drink at the bar while contending with a steady stream of fans asking for his photo.

We asked Mr. Ewing about the speculation he could join the coaching staff of the Brooklyn Nets in the wake of the team firing head coach Avery Johnson last month. Mr. Ewing, who coached in Orlando and Houston after his playing career, said he hadn't heard from the Nets, but he would gladly take any coaching job.

"I'm willing to join any team, just give me the opportunity," Mr. Ewing said. "Just give me the opportunity anywhere, Brooklyn, New York, everywhere and anywhere."

Politicker also shared our personal story of giving up our Knicks fandom due to the way the team treated Mr. Ewing in his later years and eventually defecting to root for the Nets.

"I appreciate that," Mr. Ewing said.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney cutting a rug at the Inaugural Ball.

On our way out, we saw another familiar face, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who was working her way through the crowd with her two daughters and a young man. Ms. Maloney grabbed our hand and pulled us along with her.

"You having fun or covering the event?" she asked.

When we informed her we were indeed covering the event she expressed her sympathies. A few moments later the DJ put on Madonna and when the pop diva commanded, "dance and sing, get up and do your thing," the congresswoman dutifully obeyed.

"We've got to dance!" she shouted back to us as she spun away.

Chuck Schumer speaking at the Inauguration. (Photo: Getty)

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Long Island chef Butch Yamali is telling Senator Chuck Schumer to go duck himself after the Inauguration.

Senator Schumer was able to put his own New York-centric spin on today's festivities in his capacity as chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. However, Mr. Yamali doesn't feel Mr. Schumer went far enough to honor his home state and is holding a press conference tomorrow to "formally rebuke" the senator for not having Long Island duck at the inaugural meal at the Capitol Building.  

A statement announcing the press conference, which will take place tomorrow afternoon, noted Long Island's deep connection to duck.

"Long Island is known throughout the world for its duck–and even has a minor league baseball team called 'The Ducks,'" the statement said.

In addition to featuring the chorus from Staten Island's P.S. 22 and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at the swearing in ceremony, Mr. Schumer stocked the menu at the inaugural lunch with items from the Empire State including water from Saratoga Springs Water Company, two New York wines and a Hudson Valley apple pie. Mr. Schumer also wanted to serve Long Island duck, but he said the dish was not up to snuff.

"The duck was very good, but the preparation wasn’t great. We settled on South Dakota bison," Mr. Schumer told the New York Times. "When New York gets good bison, we’ll have that."

Mr. Yamali clearly doesn't think Mr. Schumer should get to duck his responsibility to Long Island so easily. The statement announcing his press conference tomorrow said he was "angered" by the "inaugural insult" and plans to "speak out" against the senator giving Long Island "the bird."

"Of all the things to be left off Chuck Schumer’s New York-inspired Inauguration menu, he should not have removed the duck," the statement said.

This isn't the first time Mr. Yamali has brought a culinary perspective to political issues. Back in August, he appeared on Fox Business to discuss President Barack Obama's infamous "you didn't build that" remark as the owner of a small catering company.

Politicker reached out to Mr. Schumer's office to see if they had any response to Mr. Yamali's duck-fueled rage. As of this writing, we have not received a response.

(Photo: Getty)

At the inaugural reception earlier this afternoon, Vice President Joe Biden proved he still has the ability to go off script.

As various speakers--including President Barack Obama--stood behind the room's podium to offer toasts, Mr. Biden offered a heap of praise on Mr. Obama before quickly announcing his toast would instead go to one of his former colleagues in the U.S. Senate, New York's Chuck Schumer.

"I'm proud to be Vice President of the United States, serving as Barack Obama's vice president," Mr. Biden said. "It's one of the great privileges of my life. As a matter of fact, if the president will forgive me, as we were walking out--and as he said, savoring the moment--looking out at the crowd and all those Americans assembled. I ... turned him and said, 'Thank you. Thanks. Thanks for the chance. Thanks for the chance to continue to serve.'"

Mr. Biden then veered off course.

"So folks, I raise my glass to a man who never, never, never operates out of fear. [He] only operates out of confidence,"  he continued. "I'm toasting you Chuck. A guy who I plan on working on working with. You can't get rid of me, man. Remember, I'm still part of the Senate! God bless you, Chuck."

Mr. Schumer, who chaired the committee on the inaugural events, next took to the podium as the crowd chuckled with laughter.

"The best parts of these events are unscripted," he quipped.

The protester perched in the tree on the National Mall. (Photo: Hunter Walker)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An anti-abortion protester caused quite the scene at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony this morning after he climbed high up into a tree on the National Mall and shouted anti-abortion slogans and criticism of the Democratic Party throughout the proceedings. On stage near the president and other assembled dignitaries, the man's yelling could faintly be heard, but he clearly  made quite the impression among the crowd, which was otherwise overwhelmingly composed of the president's staunch supporters.

"He was anti-abortion and Democrats," said a woman named Susan who was seated below the activist's perch in the tree. "He was really obnoxious."

Susan's friend, Erin, said the man "yelled through the entire thing."

"He only stopped when Beyoncé was singing," she explained.

Members of the U.S. Capitol Police department roped off the tree and surrounded it with officers. A ladder was extended about halfway up the nearly hundred foot arbor in the hopes the man would come down of his own volition. We asked one of the officers whether he would be arrested and he referred us to the department's public information office.

The man appeared to be Rives Miller Grogan, an anti-abortion activist with a history of disrupting high-profile events. Mr. Grogan heckled the president with a photo of fetuses during an Ohio campaign rally in November. In October, he delayed a playoff game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for three minutes after running onto the field at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark with a sign proclaiming, "Abortion is Sin."

At the inauguration, he carried a double-sided placard. One side said "Defund Planned Parenthood," the other said, "Pray To End Abortion" and featured images of hands clasped in prayer and an American flag.

Update: (8:34 p.m.): A spokesman for the U.S. Capitol Police confirmed the climbing protester was indeed Mr. Grogan. The spokesman said Mr. Grogan did eventually climb down and was subsequently arrested.

(Photo: Getty)

Earlier today, President Barack Obama took the oath of office in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands of individuals and the full attention of the country's media. And, while touting the importance of the American democracy, Mr. Obama also used the occasion to promote some of his policy goals for next four years.

"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," Mr. Obama said, for example, according to his prepared remarks. "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God."

In the speech, Mr. Obama also argued for short lines on Election Day, equal pay for women and retaining more foreign students after they graduate. And although he didn't directly address the latest hot-button issue--gun control--the President did bring up the recent massacre at Newtown, Connecticut, and said the nation must keep its children safe.

In addition to his policy advocacies, Mr. Obama discussed the government philosophy he believes is needed to achieve these goals, and said individuals alone cannot accomplish what "collective action" can.

"But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action," Mr. Obama said. "For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores."

View Mr. Obama's full remarks below:

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.

For more than two hundred years, we have.

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.

But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.

For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.

That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.

For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.

You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.

You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.

Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.

(Photo: Getty)

Moments before President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden put their hands on the Bible to take the oath of office, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander took the podium to introduce them by quoting Alex Haley, the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family and co-author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the late Alex Haley, the author of Roots, lived his life by these six words: find the good and praise it," Mr. Alexander, the-chair of the inaugural committee, said. "Today we praise the American tradition of transforming, or reaffirming, immense power in the inauguration of the President of the United States. We do this in a peaceful, orderly way. There is no mob. No coup. No insurrection. This is  a moment when millions stop and watch. A moment most of us always will remember. It is a moment that is our most conspicuous and enduring symbol of the American democracy. How remarkable that this has survived for so long in such a complex country when so much power is at stake. This freedom to vote for our leaders and the restraint to respect the results."

New York's own senator, Chuck Schumer, also addressed the crowd while praising the momentous nature of today's event.

"This democracy of ours was forged by intellect and argument, by activism and blood, and above all--from John Adams to Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Martin Luther King--by a stubborn adherence that we are all created equally and we deserve nothing less than a great republic worthy of our consent," he said.