The Barack Obama presidential center finally opened in Chicago on Thursday, more than a decade after someone first said, "Wouldn't it be nice to have a library?" The event featured a musical fanfare and paeans to democratic principles that evoked a previous age, while also delivering what can only be described as an implied rebuke to Donald Trump - about as subtle as a brick through a window.
With appearances by a cast of musical stars and retired politicians from a less polarised era, it was a seemingly perfect antidote to the crass spectacle of cage fights on the White House lawn, because nothing says "presidential library" like Bruce Springsteen and the ghost of bipartisanship.
Without naming the current White House occupant - because why give him the satisfaction - Barack and Michelle Obama launched full-frontal attacks on Trump's authoritarian approach, depicting them as an affront to American values. Michelle, in particular, aimed the sharpest barbs at Trump, just four days after a UFC competitor called her "a man" during a bout held at the White House last Sunday to mark the US's 250th anniversary. Because nothing says "celebrate the nation" like mixed martial arts in the East Room.
In a speech that arguably upstaged her husband's, Michelle paid tribute to Obama's two terms, pointedly denouncing "the lies about your birthright" peddled by Trump more than a decade ago - a reference to the "birther" conspiracy that falsely claimed Obama hadn't been born in the US. The Obamas remain a frequent target of the current president, who earlier this year shared, then deleted amid outcry, a video clip depicting the couple as apes. Classy.
"How absurd it is to even imagine that you might have buckled under the pressure," Michelle said. "How absurd it is to imagine that you might have done anything but make our family and this entire country proud." She then recited her husband's achievements - including "ending a war", "winning a peace prize", and "listening to science" - a recitation that seemed designed to highlight Trump's most notorious sensitivities and weak spots. Because nothing says "burn" like mentioning a Nobel prize and science in the same breath.
Trump, who lobbied incessantly and unsuccessfully for last year's Nobel peace prize, frequently claims to have ended several wars, though evidence for many of his claims is, shall we say, thin. He's also been criticized for undermining US global scientific leadership and installing Robert F Kennedy Jr, a renowned anti-vaxxer, as health secretary. Because who needs science when you have conspiracy theories?
Barack Obama's swipes were less cutting but equally vociferous. In a thinly disguised jab, he distilled American democracy as "a belief that our military and law enforcement owe allegiance not to any president or political party, but to the people and our constitution, [and] a belief in the peaceful transfer of power after the people have spoken in fair and free elections." You know, that quaint old tradition.
With former Republican president George W Bush and his wife Laura in attendance, Obama went out of his way to name-check his erstwhile adversaries in a tribute to bipartisanship - a concept largely forgotten during Trump's era. "Every president here today, as different as we are, has tried our best to uphold values that John McCain and Mitt Romney believed in, no less than I did," he said, extolling "character, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, a sense of duty, and honor." He added: "These are the values and traditions I believe in, and they are not Republican or Democratic values, they are American values we can all share."
Speaking after Trump signed an agreement to end the war with Iran, Obama turned to US foreign policy: "America has made its share of foreign policy mistakes. Our actions have not always matched our rhetoric. But at our best, the United States has been an undeniable force for good in the world. When we encourage cooperation between nations instead of trying to dominate and bully and squeeze every advantage just because we can, and most of all, when we show through our example here at home that even a country as big and diverse as ours can make democracy work, it turns out all nations, including ours, become more prosperous and secure."
The opening, on Chicago's South Side - where the Obamas first met - was attended by two other former Democratic presidents: Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, along with Hillary Clinton. Several current prominent Democrats considered likely contenders for the party's presidential nomination were also present, including JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, and Gavin Newsom, governor of California, as well as liberal-leaning elder foreign politicians like former German chancellor Angela Merkel, former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, and former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi.
Entertainment was provided by an impressive list of musical luminaries - Bruce Springsteen, who sang "Land of Hope and Dreams" after Obama spoke, Bono and the Edge from U2, and Stevie Wonder - whose presence contrasted sharply with Trump's enforced decision to cancel a 250th anniversary concert after several acts pulled out. Because nothing says "celebration" like a roster of artists who actually want to perform.