Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged to "remake America" after he was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States on the west front of the Capitol in Washington D. C..
President Barack Obama gives his inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009. [AP Photo]
"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," Obama told an unprecedentedly massive audience filling up the National Mall in the capital.
"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth," he said.
Then the first African-American president outlined his to-do list.
"We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age, " he said.
"All this we can do. And all this we will do," the president noted.
Obama acknowledged the daunting challenges facing the nation, saying "we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood."
"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet."
But the president said although the challenges "are real" and " will not be met easily or in a short span of time," America's goals "will be met."
"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true," he said.
"This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny," said Obama.
Obama began his inaugural speech by paying tribute to U.S. ancestors and outgoing President George W. Bush.
"I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancesto
The president and his family, after a 40-minute coffee break at the White House, were accompanied to the U.S. Capitol by outgoing President George W. Bush. This was also the last time for Bush to leave the White House as the U.S. president.
Amid tight security, the flag-bearing motorcade, carrying the present and future leaders of a nation reeling from a crippled economy and two wars, passed jubilant and cheering well-wishers who lined the streets.
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