It’s time for an installment of Great Inaugural Moments with Mr. Dreier:

Rep. David Dreier was in his 20s when he witnessed the first of what would be many presidential inaugurations in his nearly 30 years as a congressman.

He rattled off the presidents he’s been on the Capitol steps to see sworn in:

“This will be my eighth inauguration….Reagan, Reagan, Bush, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Obama…”

Reagan’s first one, in January of 1981, made a huge impact on the then rookie congressman.

“The most exciting one for me was the first one…,” he said.

Reagan was the first president to take the oath of office on the west front of the Capitol, Dreier said — a symbol of looking toward California.

But that wasn’t all that was significant on that day for Dreier. So were events in the Middle East.

“When Reagan was in the middle of his speech , 52 Americans held hostage for 441 days were released…” he said.

A few days later he found him standing in the south lawn of the White House, welcoming them back.

I’m sure the moment was bitter-sweet for many of Dreier’s colleagues on the other side, who found it sweet that the hostages were released, but bitter that it came essentially at the moment that outgoing President Carter left D.C.

But that’s the context in which Dreier’s congressional career began…

The enthusiasm of those early days has driven Dreier’s Republican politics, he said, as he approaches his 30^th year representing the 26^th District — which represents much of the San Gabriel Valley.

“I’ve still got the same enthusiasm…but I’m a lot grayer and older,” he said.

But in terms of excitement over inaugurations, things have come full circle, the congressman said.

The enthusiasm that he had for Reagan’s inauguration is the kind of enthusiasm he’s seen over Obama’s.

“It’s clearly history making,” he said.”The hope that surrounds this is contagious, even to a Republican like me.”

The parallels with President Lincoln’s inauguration bring Dreier back to the symbolism of the moment for his own party.

“Who is the one president frequently quoted by by Obama?” he asked. “The founder of my party,” he said.

The sharp, freezing breeze hit Patricia Habersham’s face hard Thursday as she proudly set her gaze on the Capitol.

The view was worth it.

Maybe 100 yards in front of her, Barack Obama — the first black man to be elected president — will stand up and take the oath of office.

He’ll look out to see possibly millions of people standing out on the National Mall, as he looks west.

It was all in Habersham’s mind Thursday, and she was taking it all in as crews readied the area for Tuesday — a day when Habersham herself will sit back at her home and watch.

She won’t be in the giant crowd. In fact, she’ll be home not far away in Fort Washington, Md.

But Thursday was a better day — quiet and uncrowded. And yet, the moment was just as special, because she was physically closer to where it will happen than she ever could be if she was there, she said. It will be as close as the 59-year-old African American woman and retired U.S. Postal Service worker might ever get to a man who can make a difference in the world, she said.

“I know it’s going to be crowded, ” she said. “I just wanted a little sense of it.”

So there she was on Thursday…

“It’s history,” she said. “It’s a historic event.”