World NorthAmerica A historic moment - Obama's Inauguration | A historic moment - Obama's Inauguration |
| Written by Reuters | |
| Tuesday, 20 January 2009 | |
 Barack Obama was poised to make history on Tuesday as the first black U.S. president, riding a wave of public optimism he will need to tap to deal with the worst economic crisis in 70 years and two wars. As dawn broke, thousands of people, bundled up against the cold, made their way through the city's darkened streets toward the national Mall, where they will watch Obama take the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon.
Some estimates put the number of people expected to pack the Mall and inaugural parade route at more than 2 million after they clogged the city's metro rail system and thronged the security check-points in a mood of excitement. The inauguration of Obama, 47, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas will be full of symbol and ceremony. His inauguration as the 44th president caps hopes and dreams of, among others, generations of African-Americans who suffered slavery and then racial segregation that made them second-class citizens. He will take the oath of office, his hand placed on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration in 1861, standing on the western steps of the capitol, a building that was partly built by black slaves. His swearing-in will be followed by the U.S. Marine Corps band playing "Hail to the Chief" and a 21-gun salute. The inauguration is taking place amid unprecedented security, although authorities say there is no credible threat of an attack. About 8,000 police have been deployed and a total of 32,000 military personnel will be on duty or on standby. Obama, whom some have called the greatest orator of his generation, will then deliver his eagerly anticipated address, which his spokesman Robert Gibbs said would last about 20 minutes. EXECUTIVE ORDERS "He is going to lay out a lot of the challenges we face as a country, but he will also remind ... that America has faced great challenges before," Gibbs told CNN on Tuesday. "He will talk about responsibility, particularly the great responsibility in the action of government and financial institutions, some of whose actions have got us into the mess we are in now." He played down suggestions that Obama could issue executive orders as early as Tuesday to close the U.S. military prison at for foreign terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay and repeal a ban on overseas funding for clinics or groups which provide abortion services. He said some announcements would be made later in the week. Thousands packed the Mall hours before the festivities began, many of them waving American flags. Traffic backed up at parking lots at metro rail stops and even at 5 a.m. trains were packed. Some die-hards camped out to be first at check-points. People were in a festive mood, despite the cold and economic gloom that that has millions unemployed and tens of thousands homeless. "I brought my patience," said Matt Rohrbaugh, 37, who had traveled from Santa Cruz, California with his two sons aged 12 and 15. "Everyone else seems to have brought their patience as well," he said, referring to the long lines at checkpoints. Obama in recent days has stressed that Americans should expect even rougher economic times and that his plan to revive the struggling economy will take time to work. No president has begun his four-year term in office with as much public confidence -- a 78 percent approval rating in the most recent Gallup poll -- and a sharp contrast with outgoing President George W. Bush, whose ratings plumbed record lows. His eight years in power over, Bush is returning home to Texas on Tuesday. Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney pulled a muscle in his back while moving boxes and will be in a wheelchair for the inauguration ceremony, the White House said. Obama, who sharply criticized Bush during his campaign, was to spend part of the morning with him before taking the oath of office. By all accounts, the two men have got along well since Obama won, and Bush has repeatedly spoken warmly about him. Obama and his wife, Michelle, and the Bidens were to attend a church service at St. John's Episcopal Church before going to the nearby White House to have coffee with the Bushes and the Cheneys. The group will proceed to the U.S. Capitol for the ceremony in which Obama will repeat a short oath, pledging he will "faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" and give his inauguration address. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Jim Wolf and Ross Colvin; Editing by David Storey)
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