"It's about Colorado leading the way, leading the nation."

Me and about 3,000 of my closest friends watched Bill Ritter take the oath of office shortly before noon. His speech opened with praise for everyone from Bill Owens and Robert F. Kennedy to Ritter's extensive family. And he repeated the themes that carried him to victory in November - renewable energy, education and healthcare reform.

I stood in a receiving line for nearly an hour to congratulate Ritter, along with Barbara O'Brien, John Suthers and Cary Kennedy. It's a little strange getting a 20 second audience with the Governor. I said, "Congratulations, good luck and nice weather we're having," or something similarly inane. Ritter smiled back like I was making sense.

It was even odder shaking hands with Suthers. The attorney general has a disturbing affinity for the Trailhead Group, but has recently attempted to create bipartisan legislation.

There's more coverage of the day here, here, here and here. This diary was cross-posted at SquareState.