Tuesday, taking the oath as the 44th US president and shattering
racial
barriers as the first black leader of the country.
He took over a nation longing for change after President George W
Bush's eight divisive years in the White House, an era that witnessed
the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks, the beginning of wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq and an economic collapse not seen since the 1930s Great
Depression.
Earlier, Obama used Monday's holiday in memory of civil rights giant
Martin Luther King Jr. to exhort Americans to service and call on them
to join him in taking responsibility for the country's future in a new
age of accountability.
Obama's ascendancy marks a milestone once unthinkable in a nation that
has struggled with racial issues since its founding and where
segregation was practiced in many Southern states decades ago. It took
place outside the US Capitol, which slaves helped build. Obama took
oath on the same Bible used at the 1861 inauguration of Abraham
Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery.
Braving icy temperatures and possible snow flurries, hundreds of
thousands of people descended on the heavily guarded capital city on
Tuesday for the first change of administrations since 2001.
Streets were filling up well before dawn and Washington subway cars
were standing-room-only shortly after the trains began running at 4
am.
Obama's election electrified millions across the globe with the hope
that the new American leader would be more inclusive and open to the
needs of people and governments worldwide, more collaborative and more
inclined to attack problems with diplomacy than with military power.
Tuesday's ceremony was the culmination of a remarkable ascent for the
47-year-old Democrat, who moves into the Oval Office as the nation's
fourth youngest president. In less than five years, he rose from a
little-known Illinois state lawmaker to the nation's highest office,
persuading Americans that despite his relative inexperience, he could
turn around the economy, end the Iraq war and restore US standing in
the world.
A gifted, inspirational speaker, Obama has raised the hopes of
millions as he outlined a new course for the United States. He has
promised to emphasize diplomacy, seek global solutions to climate
change, reject torture and shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison.
Obama's presidency puts Democrats firmly in charge of Washington. They
will control both chambers of Congress and the White House for the
first time since 1994.
Though the new president faces monumental challenges, but should face
an extended honeymoon as he takes over from Bush, who leaves
Washington as one of the nation's most unpopular and divisive
presidents.
The 43rd president's approval ratings, which soared after Sept 11,
plummeted over his handling of the Iraq war, his slow response to
Hurricane Katrina and the economic meltdown.
Pre-inauguration polls showed Americans believed Obama is on track to
succeed and express confidence the new president can turn the economy
around. But Obama has cautioned that recovery needs time, and that
things will get worse before they get better.
Culminating four days of celebration, Obama and Vice President-elect
Joe Biden began the day with a traditional morning worship service at
St. John's Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park from the White
House, and will end it with dancing and partying at 10 inaugural balls
lasting deep into the night.
By custom, Obama and his wife, Michelle, were invited to the White
House for coffee with Bush and his wife, Laura, followed by a shared
ride in a heavily armored Cadillac limousine to the US Capitol for the
transfer of power. On Monday, Vice President Dick Cheney pulled a
muscle in his back. He was in a wheelchair for the inauguration.
Obama stepped forward on the West Front of the US Capitol to take the
oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The
35-word declaration has been uttered by every president since George
Washington.
Obama - son of a Kansas-born white woman and a Kenyan born black
father - decided to use his full name - Barack Hussein Obama - for the
swearing-in.
To the dismay of liberals, Obama invited conservative evangelical
pastor and gay marriage opponent Rick Warren to give the inaugural
invocation.
More than 10,000 people from all 50 states - including bands and
military units - assembled to follow Obama and Biden from the Capitol
along the 1.5 mile (2.4-kilometer) inaugural parade route down
Pennsylvania Ave, concluding at a bulletproof reviewing stand in front
of the White House.
The inauguration drew almost 2 million people. Security was
unprecedented as Washington braced for logistical headaches with major
streets and bridges into the capital closed.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4008150,prtpage-1.cms
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