Washington, Jan 20: Those who had hoped audaciously for change saw the beginning of the fulfilment of their dream with Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President of the USA. The first Afro American to take office takes over under a huge burden of expectations; that he would not only solve a global economic crisis and find a solution to two wars, but somehow fundamentally change the very nature of politics and make the world a better place.
This is the first change of administrations since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Two years after beginning his improbable quest as a little-known, first-term Illinois senator with a foreign-sounding name, Obama moves into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth youngest president, at 47, and the first African-American, a barrier-breaking achievement believed impossible by generations of minorities.
Around the world, Obama's election has electrified millions with the hope that America will be more embracing and be more open to change.
The dawn of the new Democratic era — with Obama allies in charge of both houses of Congress — ends eight years of Republican control of the White House by George W Bush. He leaves Washington as one of the nation's most unpopular and divisive presidents, the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity that swept away many Americans' jobs, savings and homes.
Bush — following tradition — left a note for Obama in the top drawer of his desk in the Oval Office.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the theme of the message — which Bush wrote on Monday — was similar to what he has said since election night: that Obama is about to begin a "fabulous new chapter" in the United States, and that he wishes him well.
The unfinished business of the Bush administration thrusts an enormous burden onto the new administration, though polls show Americans are confident Obama is on track to succeed. He has cautioned that improvements will take time and that things will get worse before they get better.
Culminating four days of celebration, the nation's 56th inauguration day began for Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden with a traditional morning worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church, across Lafayette Park from the White House. Bells pealed from the historic church's tower as Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived five minutes behind schedule.
The festivities which are estimated to $170 mn, won't end until well after midnight, with dancing and partying at 10 inaugural balls.
The federal government estimates that it will spend roughly USD 49 million on the inaugural weekend. Washington, DC And neighbouring states of Virginia and Maryland have requested another USD 75 million from the federal government to help pay for their share of police, fire and medical services.
Most of the money has come from rich donors only too willing to pick up the tab. Quite a few of them from the recently bailed out Wall Street firms, who have put together as much as $7mn for the inauguration.
By custom, Obama and his wife, and Biden and his wife, Jill, went directly from church to the White House for coffee with Bush and his wife, Laura. Michelle Obama brought a gift for the outgoing first lady in a white box decorated with a red ribbon. A sleek, heavily armored Cadillac limousine stood ready to take them to the Capitol for the transfer of power, an event flashed around the world in television and radio broadcasts, podcasts and Internet streaming. On Monday, Vice President Dick Cheney pulled a muscle in his back, leaving him in a wheelchair for the inauguration.
Just before noon, Obama steps forward on the West Front of the Capitol to lay his left hand on the same Bible that President Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration in 1861. The 35-word oath of office, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, has been uttered by every president since George Washington. Obama was one of 22 Democratic senators to vote against Roberts' confirmation to the Supreme Court in 2005.
The son of a Kansas-born mother and Kenya-born father, Obama decided to use his full name in the swearing-in ceremony.
The Constitution says the clock — not the pomp, ceremony and oaths — signals the transfer of the office from the old president to the new one.
The 20th Amendment to the Constitution specifies that the terms of office of the president and vice president "shall end at noon on the 20th day of January ... and the terms of their successors shall then begin."
To the dismay of liberals, Obama invited conservative evangelical pastor Rick Warren — an opponent of gay rights — to give the inaugural invocation.
About a dozen members of Obama's Cabinet and top appointees were ready for Senate confirmation Tuesday, provided no objections were raised. But Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas indicated he would block a move to immediately confirm Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Still, she is expected to be approved in a roll call vote Wednesday.
More than 10,000 people from all 50 states — including bands and military units — were assembled to follow Obama and Biden from the Capitol on the 1.5-mile inaugural parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue, concluding at a bulletproof reviewing stand in front of the White House. Security was unprecedented. Most bridges into Washington and about 3.5 square miles of downtown were closed.
Obama's inauguration represents a time of renewal and optimism for a nation gripped by fear and anxiety. Stark numbers tell the story of an economic debacle unrivaled since the 1930s:
_Eleven million people have lost their jobs, pushing the unemployment rate to 7.2 percent, a 16-year high.
_One in 10 U.S. homeowners is delinquent on mortgage payments or in arrears.
_The Dow Jones industrial average fell by 33.8 percent in 2008, the worst decline since 1931, and stocks lost $10 trillion in value between October 2007 and November 2008.
Obama and congressional Democrats are working on an $825 billion economic recovery bill that would provide an enormous infusion of public spending and tax cuts. Obama also will have at his disposal the remaining $350 billion in the federal financial bailout fund. His goal is to save or create 3 million jobs and put banks back in the job of lending to customers.
In an appeal for bipartisanship, Obama honored defeated Republican presidential rival John McCain at a dinner Monday night. "There are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain," Obama said.
Young and untested, Obama is a man of enormous confidence and electrifying oratorical skills. Hopes for Obama are extremely high, suggesting that Americans are willing to give him a long honeymoon to strengthen the economy and lift the financial gloom.
On Wednesday, his first working day in office, Obama is expected to redeem his campaign promise to begin the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq under a 16-month timetable. Aides said he would summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Oval Office and order that the pullout commence.
Massive security for Obama
As Barack Obama takes oath as the first black-American President of the US, an unprecedented security ring has been laid across Washington, with 20,000 law enforcement agents on the streets, snipers on rooftops and fighter jets patrolling the skies.
The 47-year-old has received numerous death threats and a
number of white supremacists have been arrested on separate
occasions earlier for allegedly hatching assassination plots.
More than 20,000 Secret Service agents, police officers
and National Guard troops will be deployed while sharpshooters
will be manning the rooftops along the parade route.
As Obama delivers his inaugural address and makes his way
in a motorcade along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House,
the security cordon will be the most intense.
Roads and bridges leading into the city will be closed,
Coast Guard boats will patrol the Potomac River and fighter
jets will fly overhead.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was quoted
as saying by ABC News that while there have been no credible
threats, Obama's swearing-in may "excite bad acts on the part
of a certain small percentage of the population who are
bigoted."
Chemical and biological detectors are in place along the
parade route and the airspace around the capital, other than
for the fighter jets, has been declared a no-fly zone.
Bureau Report