Ken Salazar was there to announce that, after having been closed subsequent to 9-11, the crown of the statue would be re-opened on July 4th.  The entire Today crew is broadcasting from the statue this morning.

Here’s the transcript of Salazar’s vainglorious claim, made in an exchange with Matt Lauer:

MATT LAUER: Ken Salazar is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.  Mr. Secretary, what a pleasure to be in this location with you.  It’s nice to see you.

KEN SALAZAR: It’s good to be here.

LAUER: This location, for the most part, has been closed to the public ever since the attacks of 9-11, and you have a special announcement to make today. Why don’t you make it?

SALAZAR: I do Matt. This Statue of Liberty really is about hope and optimism for America. It’s also about jobs that come with tourism all over this country. And it’s about President Obama’s agenda.

And so today we’re announcing that on the 4th of July, we will open up the crown of the Statue of Liberty, here in New York and New Jersey, to the entire people in America in a way that we’ll be able to manage the crowds to come into this space.

I would have thought that presidents are meant to mold their agenda to reflect the meaning and inspiration of our founding documents and symbols of freedom. But no, it’s apparently the other way around.  Those symbols are really about Pres. Obama.

Behold His works!

Update: Over at Free Republic, where this item was cross-posted, reader socal_parrot made a perspicacious observation: “OK, now tell me that he had nothing to do with the decision to try to get a photo op of Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background.”