Rui Wang Columnist

OK, be honest: How many of you actually moved to Canada following the results of the presidential election? If you haven't yet, there is only one day left to pack your belongings and ship out because after today, you will have implicitly agreed to live another four years under the current administration. Two and a half months since Nov. 2 is enough time to exercise conscientious objection; after that, you're just moving. After all, shouldn't liberals try to overcome accusations of being indecisive this year?

The official inauguration ceremony in which George W. Bush will take his oath of office as a second-term president - arguably his first legitimate term - takes place today. Four years ago, Bush's motorcade was pelted with protest tomatoes and the big day was marred by a cold, drizzly downpour. This time, the weather is again predicted to be miserable.

For the inaugural ball, Mrs. Laura Bush is wearing a blue Oscar de la Renta gown. Following a year when America seemed so dominated by red state/blue state obsession, I would have pegged Mrs. Bush to go with the symbolically correct hue. Best to leave fashion to the East Coast liberals, I guess.

A lot has happened between John Kerry's concession speech Nov. 3, and today, the day of the inauguration.

Presumably, President Bush still feels that his election victory conferred upon him a mandate from the American people - definitely not to be confused with a "man date," given the administration's renewed commitment to a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Alberto Gonzales has been nominated and will probably be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate as the new attorney general. I didn't think Bush could find a worthy - and by worthy, I mean, sufficiently frightening - successor to John Ashcroft. As the perennial overachiever, Bush has succeeded admirably. When asked to clarify his stance on whether U.S. personnel could ever use torture during interrogations, Gonzales replied, "I'd want to get back to you on that." This response was the best that America's top attorney and former Texas Supreme Court justice could muster? The Patriot Act, that tangled jungle of restrictive legislation, will saunter on with a new champion.

I visited Canada for the first time this summer. As I drove from Washington into the border zone, the clouds overhead that had accompanied me north all day suddenly dispersed in a blaze of afternoon sun. The ocean twinkled on the left. The road to the border checkpoint curved gently through a park overrun with late summer flowers and ornamental trees. Meticulously landscaped shrubbery was arranged to read "Welcome to Canada!" Frankly, it took my breath away. Was this some kind of sign? Was Canada beckoning?

But as critical as some of us are of Bush, sometimes we're in for a pleasant surprise. U.N. official Jan Egeland accused us of being stingy in the wake of the horrific Southeast Asian tsunami, to which the United States replied with a resounding "Nuh-uh!" The administration immediately increased our aid pledge tenfold to $350 million. A buck contribution from every person in the country is not too shabby. Not to mention the millions already donated

privately. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has been looking forward to four years from now, when he's finally gone. And there are other bright spots as well. In a stunning reversal of fortune, Christine Gregoire was declared the winner in a hand-recount of the Washington state governor's race. Washington is now the first state ever to be represented by a female governor and two female U.S. senators at the same time. One less reason to move north of the border.

It's tempting to romanticize our neighbors to the north and ironically to see the grass as greener even though most of the ground is covered in permafrost. But, we know better so we stay here. We remain in this great big democracy experiment because it has so much potential, so much opportunity for justice and self-determination. Plus, Canada doesn't really want us, and moving is a bitch. I just moved from one place to another less than a mile away, and that was taxing enough. So, I stay and participate in another four years - wary, sarcastic and hopeful as ever.

Rui Wang is a third-year law student. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.