Barack Obama already inaugurated! (In Legoland)

Hang on, don't worry. There wasn't a military coup or anything.

Barack Obama was successfully sworn-in. But it doesn't count. Unless you're in Legoland.

What?

You remember as a kid playing with Legos - you know, those bright colored bricks that you could piece together to make a crude blocky house or something that kind of resembled a dog. And there was that really bright kid down the street who could somehow create a life-like and life-sized Taj Mahal putting your creation to shame?

Well, those kids have grown up and built entire theme parks made out of Legos. And in Legoland, California, they've created a Lego Inauguration.

Lego DC

Visitors to the Carlsbad, California theme park can see the whole ceremony complete with Lego White House, Mall, parade, motorcade, porta-potties, and of course, the first families.

Presidents Bush 43 and 41 and their First Ladies are in attendance. Lego craftsmen decided to make the older President Bush nod off during the event as he's been to a lot of them before. Of course, President Clinton and still-Senator Hillary Clinton are in attendance.

President-elect Obama's daughters are standing behind the President-elect as he is sworn into office.

More than 1,000 figures are in the ceremony including a Lego version of the Queen of Soul - Aretha Franklin - who will sing during the actual ceremony.

Pot shots

Sound great? Sure, but there's plenty of snarkiness out there in blog land today. Especially in San Francisco.

On the topic of Joe Biden, San Francisco Chronicle's Joe Garofoli, wonders, "One question: Does LEGO now make a hair-plug piece?"

As for the current administration, SF Weekly's Joe Eskenazi writes, "Maybe when they're done with this exhibit they can allow park visitors to construct their fantasies of Bush and Cheney being dragged through the streets like Mussolini. Oprah could drive the ox cart."

Ouch.

Much calmer

The good news is it isn't a one-day event like the real Inauguration. And you don't have to worry about the cold weather or the bazillions of people elbowing each other in the head to get a better view.

This inauguration will be open every day through Memorial Day except this Tuesday. They want to give their people time-off so they can see the actual Inauguration.

Uh-oh

Just like anything in politics, there's controversy in this as well.

Garofoli wonders, "Wait, is the President-elect's hand on a Lego Koran or a Lego Bible?"

Somebody alert Rush Limbaugh!