If you're still angling for the job, we found a way for you to catch the eye of the president's team: Atom.com has a fun little feature called the "Inauguration Speech Generator."

"A grassroots Internet campaign helped Barack Obama get elected," the site says. "Now he's calling for the Internet's assistance one more time — to help him craft the best inauguration speech ever."

So, I decided to put the generator to the test, filled in the Mad Libs-like boxes with important-sounding words like "hope" and "patriots," and voilà! Here's what it would sound like if I got the chance to write Obama's history-making address:

"My fellow Americans, today is a prestigious day. You have shown the world that 'hope' is not just another word for 'country,' and that 'change' is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually honor.

"Today we celebrate, but let there be no mistake — America faces and challenges like never before. Our economy is bad. Americans can barely afford their mortgages, let alone have enough money left over for Americans. Our health care system is questionable. If your heart is sick and you don't have insurance, you might as well call a patriot. And America's image overseas is tarnished like a box. But together we can right this ship, and set a course for change.

"Finally, I must thank my family, my campaign volunteers, but most of all, I want to thank the Jonas Brothers for making this historic occasion possible. Of course, I must also thank you, President Bush, for years of standing the American people. Without your efforts, none of this would have been possible."

Hmm. It's an imperfect science, but do you think he'll go for it?

One reporter said "if we win tonight" I said "we?" He corrected himself and said "if Obama wins." I laughed and for a second I felt like we--all of the news crews back there--were all on the same team. They ran to the crowd, back and forth, after every cheer not wanting to miss anything. While I'm sure their quickness helped them capture the news for their employers, I got the feeling that they didn't want to miss anything because they wanted the night to be a complete "I was there" story to tell their grandchildren.

Continue reading more about the rally on YOURHERE.MTV.COM.

Luckily, the Republican National Committee was kind enough to lay out an impressive spread for the assembled media, but there's a catch: You've gotta pay $685.

Actually, the money gets you a spot in the press filing center, which later will be humming with reporters on deadline, but at the moment it's playing host to a rather extravagant buffet.

(The fee was even higher for Obama's Illinois HQ — no word yet on the menu.)

In addition to the usual crudite (carrots, celery, etc.) there's a wonderland of decidedly Southern fare, including crispy fried chicken, cornbread and chili. There are Angus beef burgers and Nathan's hot dogs — and for the vegetarians, some floppy-looking seitan patties.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I failed to mention the condiments. In this, the RNC truly excelled: not just saukeraut and diced onions, but three different types of mustard (spicy, "French style" and Dijon, which is technically also French), and — in a decidedly Obama-ian twist — sport peppers, which any good Chicagoan will tell you are mandatory for a proper Windy City dog.

Truly, McCain is the condiment candidate. And as I hoisted my third Nathan's to my lips — slathered in mustard, overflowing with 'kraut and chili — I couldn't help but think that this is a great way to spend $685.

"I'm just talking to students here, making sure everyone is voting," she told MTV News. "If they haven't, I'm telling them the clock is ticking. Today is D-day. Gotta vote."

Nixon was also there to speak out against Florida's Proposition 2, which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman, effectively banning same-sex marriage. "It's an antigay initiative," said Nixon, who is in a lesbian relationship. "It's not like gay marriage or civil unions aren't already illegal in this state. They just want to make sure that no people in a domestic partnership can receive benefits, which obviously affects a lot of gay people, but it affects a lot of straight people too, particularly a lot of senior citizens. It's just nasty.

"I live with a woman," she added. "I don't live in Florida, so it doesn't affect me directly, but I feel any time there are homophobic propositions on a ballot in any state it affects me."

Meanwhile, she responded to the recent interview Barack Obama did with MTV News last weekend, in which he said he supports civil unions, even though he defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. "Of course, I would love it if he would say he is for gay marriage," she said. "But I feel like it's so close. ... He's for civil unions with all the rights and privileges of marriage. ... You know, for my money, you can call it whatever you want, but as long as we have our rights, that's the important thing."

Nixon is a stout Obama supporter and says she agrees with him on many issues, including the environment and the economy. "But if I had to pick one issue," she said, "it would be the Supreme Court. I just cannot see anymore conservative justices appointed. ... John McCain said that Roe vs. Wade was a flawed decision, and he'd like to see it repealed."

MTV News is at the polls in all 50 states — check out our coverage all day long on MTV and right here on MTVNews.com. Then, tell us why you voted! Comment below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience. Your message will appear on our election map and could appear on TV today!

McCain will deliver this speech on the lawn you see here (he got married on this same spot 24 years ago). ... Exactly four minutes ago they closed it off to the general public, and tonight, a lucky (and heavily credentialed) 2,500 will be ushered inside to watch it.

There's an entire sea of satellite trucks nestled around the corner, miles of cables stretched over every inch of lawn, and though it's early, the Straight Talk Express is already parked out front! (No word on whether that's Joe the Plumber's pickup parked next to it).

MTV News is at the polls in all 50 states — check out our coverage all day long on MTV and right here on MTVNews.com. Then, tell us why you voted! Comment below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience. Your message will appear on our election map and could appear on TV today!

You gotta get up really early to make history. Or, in the case of 28-year-old Tom Krieglstein, stay up late. Hours before anyone else thought to line up for tonight's rally in Grant Park for Senator Barack Obama, the Wrigleyville, Chicago, native proudly took his place as the first person in the queue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, a full 24 hours before the doors open for the event.

"It's history," he said, explaining why he showed up so early. "Having Obama as president is history, and that's why I wanted to be the first person in line." For two and a half hours, Krieglstein was the line, since his fiancée got sick and bailed on him. Then, around 10:00 p.m., a second person showed up. The #3 slot didn't get filled until early Tuesday morning.

"It was a long night," Krieglstein said, noting that police kept moving the first two squatters back every few hours because no one had figured out where the official line should actually start.

Krieglstein's brother joined him eventually Monday night, and the duo took turns holding down the line and taking catnaps in the lobby of the Congress Hotel, across Michigan Avenue. Sneaking in to crash on a couch in the Congress next to a homeless person, Krieglstein, wearing an Obama T-shirt, said he's obviously hoping for an Obama win — he voted early — but more important, he's hoping for a new America.

"I wasn't there for the civil rights [era]," he said. "But my connection to this is if I'd imagine 40 years from now that a gay man or a gay woman would become president, I feel like that's what it's like for Obama to become president right now. I want to be a part of history." Krieglstein also hoped that a peaceful rally Tuesday night would erase some of the lingering negative image of Chicago that followed the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention there.

Krieglstein co-founded a company called Swift Kick — which teaches college students and administrators how to use applications like Facebook and Twitter to reach young people. He said he's also excited because he thinks Obama's campaign realized the strength of those social-networking tools and made them work for them to get out the youth vote.

"I hope that Obama sets a plan not just for America, but for the world," Krieglstein said about his expectations for what he was sure would be a victory rally Tuesday night. "I feel like he's showcasing himself and the United States to what his presidency is going to look like for the next eight years. And then Michelle Obama in 2016."

MTV News is at the polls in all 50 states — check out our coverage all day long on MTV and right here on MTVNews.com. Then, tell us why you voted! Comment below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and a comment about your experience. Your message will appear on our election map and could appear on TV today!

I would first like to say on behalf of myself and all veterans, thank you to MTV and all the participants for making this event very touching and memorable. The performances and messages from the artists and entertainers were great. I would also like to thank the individuals and organizations out there that have implemented and developed ways to help our veterans.

There were many issues that were brought to the world's attention, such as homelessness, veteran benefits, unemployment and health care, which are all rising challenges among veterans in America. The veterans that shared their stories brought awareness to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), disabilities many veterans encounter that take a toll on their daily lives.

Many soldiers leave family and friends behind and believe that by performing their duties they have honored their contract and should be taken care of when they return home. As veterans, not having a place to call home or support from the government are problems we should not encounter when trying to transition back to our regular lives.

The show will enable veterans to realize that there are people out there who care and who appreciate so much what we have done for this country. They understand our issues and struggles and that something needs to be done about them.

Learn more about veterans' issues and sign the BRAVE petition here.

So, do you pay attention to celebrity get-out-the-vote campaigns?

You'd think after getting smacked down by the Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp, Heart and Jackson Browne (who actually filed suit against McCain for using "Running on Empty" in an ad broadcast in Ohio) that someone, anyone, in the McCain camp would vet song choices at least as thoroughly as they vetted vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (OK, maybe that's a bad example).

But in the latest song snafu, the guitarist for '80s rockers Survivor has asked the McCain/Palin campaign to stop using their "Rocky III" anthem "Eye of the Tiger" at events, according to a post on the band's official Web site.

"Survivor has no affiliation with John McCain or Sarah Palin. They have no right to use 'Eye of the Tiger' in any way as part of their campaign. Using our music without our permission can give people the impression that we are supporters — this is not the case," guitarist Frankie Sullivan wrote in a statement.

"The thing I like best about politics is the song ['Politician'] by Cream," Sullivan added. "Politicians have a habit of saying what they think you want to hear without ever really saying what you need them to say — the truth. There's the truthful answer, and then there is the political response. The political response is the one to beware of, for it is not a response at all; it's spin."

Since no one else seems to be doing it, we are therefore offering our services as jukebox jury for the McCain/Palin ticket. Just one tip before we sign on, though: Stay away from Pearl Jam's "Alive." It's not about what you think it's about.

But sometimes we wish we'd never said anything and instead just encouraged artists to stick to what they do best — making pretty songs and insisting we not look them in the eye when they pass us backstage. A few cases in point:

Madonna: The pop icon has been railing against Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain and his running mate almost nightly on her current Sticky & Sweet Tour.
 
First, she banned Palin from attending her concerts (not that the Alaskan governor was going to get within shooting range of one anyway). Then, during a show this week, she dropped an impromptu verse that confirmed a few things for us: Madonna probably doesn't realize what kind of muscle it takes to field dress a moose, Madonna fans will clap along to anything, and saying you're going to kick someone's ass and then adding the caveat "It's nothing personal, I love her soul" kinda defeats the purpose.

Art Alexakis: Then there's our old friend Art, singer for Everclear, who never met a controversy he couldn't try to create from scratch, preferably one having to do with Jesus. Alexakis' latest cry for attention is the free online tune "Jesus Was a Democrat," which his publicist described as "Alexakis tackles religious and political hypocrisy head-on with lyrical vibrancy and epic rock n' roll swagger."

A few choice lines:

"If Jesus was a democrat like the bible says he was" (Really? I missed that chapter.)

"If Jesus was alive today he would be sad to see/ That it is no different than it used to be" (You mean his 401(k) was also wiped out a Biblical mortgage market meltdown?)

"I think Jesus would have been a card-carrying liberal/ If he was a young man born in the U.S.A./ He would not be "fiscally conservative"/ And he wouldn't vote for John McCain" (I bet that sounded way smoother in your head than it does in the outside world.)

Aaron Tippin: Yeah, we were on board when the Village-People-mustache-sporting country singer released the America, F--- Yeah! song "You've Got to Stand for Something," back in the '90s and the post-9/11 "Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Fly." And we, frankly, didn't really notice when he put out "Drill Here, Drill Now" a year ago, way before Palin and McCain got their people shouting "Drill, Baby, Drill!"

But now that the song is getting a new life thanks to Palin's drill-happy speeches, we went and looked at the lyrics:

"Now I don't know what a gallon of gas costs up on Capitol Hill/ But we sure know what it cost down here in Reality-ville/And the damage already done has been a mighty heavy toll/ And if we're gonna fix it, we gotta start right here at home. Drill here, drill now/ How 'bout some oil from our own soil that belongs to us anyhow/ No more debatin', we're tired of waitin'/ Everybody shout out loud/ Drill here, drill now"
 
Really, Aaron? Reality-ville? I hope that's not anywhere near the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because it's gonna take years to get that oil flowing. Really.