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WASHINGTON — Barack Hussein Obama, 47, became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday afternoon, banishing forever more than 200 years of history during which the office passed from white hands to white hands and promising a new era of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
Under the Constitution, Obama became president at noon ET, even though he had not formally been sworn in with the inaugural ceremonies running behind schedule. Using his full name, the new president took the oath of office at 12:05 p.m. from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, whose nomination to the court he opposed as the junior Democratic senator from Illinois.
Roberts, who used no notes, stumbled at one point, appearing to forget the opening words. Obama, a former constitutional law professor, made sure to insert the crucial phrase “that I will faithfully execute the office of president to the United States.”
Then, clasping hands with his wife, Michelle, Obama smiled and waved to the crowd of as many as 2 million people who jammed the National Mall.
As the crowd chanted, “Obama, Obama,” the president thanked his predecessor, George W. Bush, and said he was “humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”
Obama acknowledged that “we are in the midst of crisis.”
“Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” he said. “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.”
Saying ”the time has come to set aside childish things,” Obama declared: “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.”
New president vows to remake America America
In an address that Obama rehearsed repeatedly as late as Tuesday morning, Obama balanced a serious and somber tone with hope and optimism, the themes of his precedent-breaking campaign for president.
While asserting that the United States remained “the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth,” the president warned that “everywhere we look, there is work to be done.”
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America,” Obama said.
The Obama administration will try to do that by building roads and bridges, expanding the nation’s electric grids and bolstering the digital infrastructure.
He promised to “restore science to its rightful place,” addressing a major complaint by critics who said Bush choked off scientific innovation for political purposes. And he said he would “transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.”
Only then did Obama, who is inheriting two wars from Bush, turn to foreign affairs. In what appeared to be an oblique criticism of his predecessor, Obama said America’s ideals “still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”
After a Bush administration whose policies strained relations with numerous foreign governments, Obama pointedly addressed “all other peoples and governments who are watching today,” telling them, “America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity.”
“We are ready to lead once more,” he declared.
Biden sworn in as vice president
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens swore in former Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as vice president at 11:57 a.m. ET before as many as 2 million people who swarmed the National Mall. They were there to witness Obama’s banishing forever more than 200 years of history during which the office had passed from white hands to white hands.
Obama and Bush arrived together at the Capitol, riding in a motorcade from the White House, where Bush and his wife, Laura, hosted the Obamas and Biden and his wife, Jill.
Vice President Dick Cheney attended the ceremonies in a wheelchair, thanks to a pulled muscle he suffered Monday, the White House said.
The ceremony got under way at 11:45 a.m. ET with a welcoming message from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.
The invocation was delivered by the Rev. Rick Warren, the pastor of the evangelical Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.
Warren’s selection created controversy among some of Obama’s supporters because of his opposition to homosexuality, but he delivered a nonsectarian message celebrating Obama’s “inauguration as the first African-American president of the United States.”
Warren said all Americans were “united, not by race or religion or by blood.”
Bushes move out; Obamas move in
While Obama was being sworn in, the White House staff completed the clockwork task of moving out the Bushes’ belongings and rushing in the Obamas’, all in less than two hours.
But first there was the business of the office.
As the Bushes left the scene in a helicopter, Obama and Biden proceeded from the West Front fo the Capitol to the Presidents’ Room inside to sign documents affirming his Cabinet appointments. Then was to come lunch with congressional leaders in Statuary Hall, where Obama was to be introduced with the traditional “Hail to the Chief” trumpets.
Only then comes the 1½-mile inaugural parade along Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, concluding at a bulletproof reviewing stand in front of the White House.
Afterward, the Obamas were embarking on a full day of official inaugural balls — 10 in all, each of which Obama said he would try to attend.
There are also more than a dozen of unofficial gatherings across the city, but the economy took its toll, leaving some organizers with hundreds of unsold tickets and downscaled plans. For example, the Heroes Red, White & Blue Ball at the Warner Theatre near the White House canceled its roster of high-powered entertainers, including Jamie Foxx and Nas, in favor of the rhythm and blues band Memphis Gold.
Unprecedented security
An crowd estimated at more than 1 million gathered on the Mall for the ceremonies. Tens of thousands more lined the parade route to the White House.
Security was unprecedented as Washington braced for logistical headaches with major streets and bridges into the capital closed.
But that did not dim the excitement as a party atmosphere took hold on the National Mall.
“Everyone’s got an American flag,” said Shawn Butcher of Marietta, Ga. “Everyone’s happy. Everyone’s smiling.”