In a defin ing moment in US history, Barack Hussein Obama was Tuesday sworn in as the country's 44th and the first black President at a 150 million dollar extravaganza watched by some two million people with a blunt message to terrorists all over the world - "we will defeat you.'' Obama began his inauguration speech with: "My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors…'' Climaxing the unlikeliest of journeys to the White House, the 47-year-old African-American who has raised unprecedented expectations worldwide was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice John G Roberts Jr on a chilly morning at 12:06 PM (22.36 IST ), 12 minutes behind schedule, on the steps of the West Front of the Capitol Hill where the US Congress sits.
"...For those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us and we will defeat you,'' Obama told citizens of his country hungry for change after George W Bush's divisive wars in two distant lands and the economic troubles that shook the country and the rest of the world.
The huge crowd from across America and many from outside lapped up every idea that the charismatic Democrat propounded in his tryst with history during his 20-minute address after he took oath.
In an apparent reference to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama said, "our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred''. Conscious of the anti-American sentiments in some parts of the world, he reached out to the Muslim world saying the US seeks a new way forward based on 'mutual interest and mutual respect'. The country's fourth youngest president referred to the mix of nationalities living in the US saying, ''We know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non believers.'' Having come to power with a message of hope and promise of change, Obama said the nation is in the 'midst of a crisis' and urged people to usher in an 'era of responsibility'. ''Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America-they will be met,'' Obama said. Shattering racial barriers as the first Afro-American head of America, Obama, the son of a black Kenyan and white mother from Kansas, took his oath placing hands on the same Bible used at the 1861 inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery.
Obama assumed office nearly 11 weeks after winning the November 4 Presidential elections defeating the Republican candidate John McCain. Significantly before Obama, a president had never been sworn in by a chief justice he voted against. Indian ambassador to the US Ronen Sen was among those present at the costliest inaugurals estimated to have cost 170 million dollars.
Obama told the world community that, ''America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.'' George W Bush, who attended the swearing-in ceremony with his wife Laura, was thanked by his successor for his service to the nation as well as the generosity and cooperation he had shown throughout his transition. Inheriting the economic troubles, the worst since the depression in the 1930s, Obama called for bold and swift action to revive the economy.
Bush, who leaves Washington as one of the nation's most unpopular and divisive presidents after a eight-year rule, watched the first change of guard since 2001 along with his wife Laura. Former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H Bush and Bill Clinton were also present. The incoming First Lady Michelle Obama carried to the platform the Bible on which the country's fourth youngest president placed his left hand, and repeated the 35-word oath of office with right hand raised promising to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States', adding 'so help me God' at the end. Obama decided to use his full name-Barack Hussein Obama--for the swearing-in. TRYST WITH HISTORY MUSLIM CONNECT "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,'' Obama said in his inaugural speech MANDELA HAILS OBAMA Anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela compared Barack's inauguration as US president to SA's historic transition to democracy I am thankful, grateful, and joyful and will now take pride in being known as Citizen Bush, said the outgoing president BUSH GREETS OBAMA Outgoing US President George W Bush and wife Laura greeted his successor Barack Obama and wife Michelle at the White House
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