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Barack Obama's inaugural address in full

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th US president. Here is his inauguration speech in full.

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. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.

Key words used by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address. Enlarge Image

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.

At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

Serious challenges

That 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 healthcare 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.

We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.

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.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

Nation of 'risk-takers'

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

'Remaking America'

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our 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. 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 healthcare'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. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Restoring trust

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programmes will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

'Ready to lead'

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater co-operation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and 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.

'Era of peace'

For 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. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

'Duties'

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are the guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

'Gift of freedom'

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Brown speaks to President Obama

The new US President met Gordon Brown last July at Downing Street barrack Obama blgsGordon Brown has spoken to Barack Obama for the first time since he became US President on Tuesday. The two leaders spoke by telephone on subjects ranging from the economy to the Middle East. The prime minister has said the special relationship between the UK and US will be "maintained and strengthened" with Mr Obama in the White House. The president is due to visit the UK in April for a meeting of G20 leaders focusing on the economic downturn. 'Friendly' President Obama is understood to have initiated the call, which Mr Brown took while on a trip to a Glasgow factory. Downing Street sources described the conversation as "substantive and friendly". Afghanistan was discussed but only in general terms and specific matters relating to British troop deployments were not raised. President Obama has said he wants to send more troops to Afghanistan as part of what analysts believe could be an "Iraqi-style" military surge. He is keen for other Nato countries to provide more troops. Senior British army officers have expressed concerns about troops due to leave Iraq within months being transferred directly to Afghanistan. Other issues that were raised included the situation in the Middle East and the forthcoming meeting of the world's largest economies in London. On Tuesday Gordon Brown heralded President Obama's inauguration as a "new chapter in both American history and the world's history". He praised Mr Obama as a "man of great vision and moral purpose" who would tackle the global financial crisis and other problems.

Indonesian-Americans Ready to Vote for Obama as Economy Worsens

Barrack Obama blg's-In a couple of weeks, Americans will vote in a historic presidential election.

For the first time, the presidential candidate of one of the main parties is not a white male. The campaign turned ugly a few weeks ago when the race issue and raw emotion showed on national television.

Fortunately, Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has restrained his attacks on the campaign trail.

However, his political advertisements still question Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama's true identity.

Obama is the son of an African father and a white mother. McCain's campaign also has attempted to question Obama's association with controversial figures such as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright and former 1960s radical William Ayers.

"Those are scare tactics that the Republicans use to discredit Obama," said Zulkarnain Tajibnapis, an American citizen from Indonesia.

"However, those tactics don't work anymore because of the economic crisis."

Zulkarnain, who retired last year as an editor with Voice of America's Indonesian Service, lives in Virginia, one of the most hotly contested states in the election this year. For the past 40 years, Virginia has always supported the Republican candidate for president.

Zulkarnain predicted that Senator Obama would win the election because political polls show that he leads by a large margin.

"Obama has looked more presidential in the debates with McCain. I'm more likely to vote for Obama because I trust him to fix the economy," he said.

Zulkarnain quickly added that anything could happen between now and election day.

"Although the polls show a large margin, you can't be so certain because some white people are dishonest about who they want to win," he said.

The campaign heated up recently after the collapse of the financial markets in the U.S.

Several polls have shown Obama enjoying a big lead after prices on the New York Stock Exchange dropped to their lowest levels since the terrorist attacks in 2001.

Many Americans see Obama as more suitable to fix the economy. People are also angered by failed government policies during President George W. Bush's two terms in office. Obama's campaign keeps reminding voters that a McCain presidency would be similar to Bush's.

In the southern U.S. state of Tennessee, Nurbaini McKoski said she had not yet made up her mind, but she complained about the political atmosphere in the South, which she called "very racist".

"People are very racist toward blacks and Asians. Most people here are traditional white folks," said McKoski, who is also known as Uni Ben. McKoski taught chemistry at University of Andalas in West Sumatra before she emigrated to the United States in the late 1980s after marrying a U.S. citizen.

The couple settled in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she continued teaching at a local college for a while. She said she now offers private tutoring and sometimes works as an "essential oils consultant for Indonesia".

"People here are so ignorant. They don't know about Islam. They think Obama is a Muslim, which he is not," she said, referring to one piece of misleading information that has been spread among voters.

"Even if he is a Muslim, so what? If he is capable, why not?

"I won't say I would vote for Obama, but I think Obama thinks about ordinary people. He will work for ordinary people. McCain will not be a president for ordinary people," she said.

She also said she admired Obama's personal journey as he had worked hard to get a scholarship and attend an Ivy League college. In 1982, McKoski won a scholarship from the World Bank to study at Mississippi State University.

In Pennsylvania, another hotly contested state, Oki N. Ali said he was ready to defect from his party.

Born in Washington DC to Indonesian parents, Ali said he wanted change.

"I am a registered Republican, but I will vote for Obama this time. I'm tired of Bush's administration and I see McCain as another Bush," he said.

The recently married and new father of one, Oki said his chief concern right now was the economy and job security.

"I have trouble finding a new job and my retirement fund has dropped in value significantly," said Oki, who works as an information technology specialist. Oki and his young family also spend time in Virginia, where they hope to buy a house.

"There is a lot of uncertainty right now," he said.

Oki said he supported Obama because he is young, fresh and not considered as "Old Washington". McCain and his running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, he said, always question people's loyalty to the country, but they never answer the real questions about how to fix the problems.

"I don't support Obama because he spent some time in my mother's homeland, but I support him because it is time to change Washington," he said.

Ali said he would remain a registered Republican because he grew up during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

"Many people my age are Republicans because Reagan was a great president," he explained.

In Maryland, Oki's cousin Meddy Soeparta has also decided to support Obama. He said McCain's campaign messages kept changing and seemed to be dishonest.

"I'm a conservative and have traditional values but now the economy is in trouble and we need a change in leadership," said Meddy, 37, who was also born in DC to Indonesian parents.

"There is a new energy in Obama's campaign. It seems like the majority of people are on his side," said Meddy, who works as a commercial banker in Maryland.

"I hope the new administration will take some action to fix the economy."

Meddy said he did not want to see a repeat of the past four years, especially over American policy in Iraq.

"I want the troops to quit from Iraq, but that's not necessarily a defeat. We want to let the Iraqi government take control of their country and use money from their oil," he said.

Like Ali, Meddy said he would remain a registered Republican.

Barack Obama and revival of American values

Muhamad Ali

Barrack Obama blogs-Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency of the United States of America is a historic moment for Indonesians as much as for Americans and others around the world. Barack Obama has been shaped by history and is making history.

To me, Barack Obama is the second person I become proud of whom I can personally and intellectually relate to after Muhammad Ali, a Muslim African-American boxer.

As an Indonesian, born and raised in Indonesia and who studied abroad for a doctoral degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and as an assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside, I have become increasingly in love with America as much as with Indonesia. America has its shared values. And so does Indonesia.

The greater challenge for America and Indonesia is how to revive those values and who can lead the nation in the right direction.

During my five-year residence while studying in Hawaii I found the people incredibly diverse and hospitable. I volunteered in the international student’s organization as well as in the Indonesian community. I learned that bridging differences was the key to resolving miscommunication, prejudice, and hatred between people.

I enjoyed teaching a workshop on Islam to teachers at the Punahou School, which Obama attended, because we learned so much from each other’s cultures.

I have become more aware that when we emphasize the common values, problems and issues will be easier to handle.

I knew his half sister Maya Soetoro Ng before I knew her brother as a senator. Maya Soetoro is a humble, straightforward and intelligent friend, before and even after her brother’s candidacy.

She is very proud of her Indonesian heritage, loves Indonesian food and is always excited to talk about Indonesia. Barack Obama sometimes speaks a few Indonesian words with her.
Making jokes about names was fun when Arabic names became an issue, especially after 9/11.

In interviews, Barack Hussein Obama admitted that his name had become a liability after 9/11 and the Bush administration’s war on terror, as many associate Obama with Arabs and Islam.

Obama often jokes with his friends about his name, as I often do with friends and others.

Obama’s spiritual faith is even more revealing. In his autobiography Dreams from My Father, he saw his Kenyan father as being a Muslim “thinking religion to be so much superstition”, and this influences one of his spiritual life stages.

On his Indonesian step-father, Lolo Soetoro, Barack Obama wrote, “like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make room for the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths…” His memory of his Indonesian stepfather was that of accommodative Islam and tolerant religiosity shaped by Indonesian syncretism.

Obama felt his mother’s “secularism”, but his mother for him was “the most spiritually awakened person” he had ever known, having instincts of kindness, charity, love, discipline, empathy and hard work. Obama recalled his time in schools in Indonesia.

“In Indonesia, I had spent two years at a Muslim school, two years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell my mother that I made faces during Koranic studies. My mother wasn’t overtly concerned.

“Be respectful,’ she’d said.” His spiritual journey did not end there. He became a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago which has since transformed his spiritualism and faith.

As an American, with a diverse religious, cultural, national and racial background, Obama believes in what others would call a civil religion. Obama said that Americans should acknowledge the power of faith and its diversity in the lives of Americans.

“Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers,” wrote Obama in his The Audacity of Hope. In speeches he delivers, he would end with “May God bless America.”

More importantly, Obama advocates an active and authentic faith to turn American back to its core values inherited from the founding fathers and shaped by influential figures.

He recognizes faith not for faith; it is for community empowerment. Obama’s faith has been and continues to be shaped by problems and challenges facing America.

Barack Obama’s journey was that of not only dreams, but of clarity in how to fulfill these dreams: Perseverance, discipline and hard work. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln in particular have long inspired him as dreamers of their times, and as role models for the struggle toward racial justice, freedom, equality and citizenship rights. King’s speech “I Have a Dream” shapes and echoes Obama’s rise to presidency.

“All men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” King said powerfully. And that was how Obama became inspired.

The challenges Obama’s administration are facing now are greater than the time of King’s and any previous American presidents: Two wars to finish, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to mediate, economic crises to navigate, healthcare and education to improve.

A great lesson to learn however is not so much about his sound judgment of the details of each
problem and challenge, but his repeated attempts to turn to American values.

Barack Obama demonstrates an inspiring intelligence, a calm and cool personality, and great oratory skills. Obama has brought many Americans of common values and common destiny together.

He believes that problems of injustice, the economic crisis, and the diminishing image of Americans in the world require a change of hearts and minds before anything else.

In cultivating American values, Obama puts the emphasis on education. For him, academic success is not enough without proper values and preparation for responsible citizenship.

Obama’s administration, for example, promises to encourage schools and parents to work together to establish expectations for student attendance, behavior, and homework, calling parents to turn off the TV and video games, and expect all students to engage in community service.

Moreover, in facing the challenges, Obama stresses a shared responsibility. “It is not about me, it is about you, all Americans,” he said. When he met the pilot who successfully landed a plane in trouble, he said, “If everyone does his job, we are going to be fine.” Everyone needs to serve the country. Everyone has to take the burden.

For Obama, politics, like science, depends on the ability to persuade one another of common aims based on a common reality. For him, it is to ensure that persuasion rather than violence or intimidation determines the political outcome.

Internationally, Obama has received worldwide support. His first speech during the campaign period in Berlin is perhaps one of the best speeches ever delivered.

“Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle,” he said. Trust is perhaps what the key value is but it is often missing in many international relationships.

In Berlin, Obama emphasized common humanity. “Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice: It is the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.” “That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.

“The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand.

“The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrations; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.”

If there is a crucial lesson for Indonesians to learn, Barack Obama’s successful rise to presidency shows that it is the people’s minds and hearts that should be transformed before anything else.

It is to revive American shared values in order to move forward. It is to have vision and hope, in turmoil and in peace. It is to have dreams and a clear path to follow.

Congratulations to President Barack H. Obama! And may God bless you (as your middle name means) and America, Indonesia, and all the people around the world!

The writer is assistant professor, Religious Studies Department, University of California, River

Obama takes historic spot as first black president

Barrack Obama Blog-Dancing queen: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, Tuesday. AP/Charles Dharapak

President Barack Obama ushered in a new era for the United States, becoming the first black leader of the country founded by slave-owners, and telling the world America is "ready to lead once more" after eight divisve years under George W. Bush.

Taking the helm of a nation beset by economic troubles and two wars, Obama told Americans on Tuesday that "starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America."

Before a crowd that swelled to more than 1 million on the National Mall, Obama assumed power over a nation longing for change after an era that that witnessed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the beginning of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and an economic collapse not seen since the 1930s Great Depression.

From Kenya and Indonesia, where Obama has family ties, to Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, his inauguration sparked a volcanic explosion of hope for better days ahead. People around the world gathered in front of their television sets to witness the moment in history, and Obama addressed them directly.

"To all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know 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," Obama said.

A gifted, inspirational speaker, the son of a Kansas-born mother and Kenyan-born father has raised the hopes of millions at home and abroad with his promises to emphasize diplomacy, seek global solutions to climate change, reject torture and shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison.

His words marked a call for personal accountability and a repudiation of the Bush years.

"Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed," Obama said. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Obama's 10-year-old daughter, Malia, aimed a camera at her father as he spoke. His wife, Michelle, leaned onto the edge of her seat, body tensed and brow knitted.

His speech took note of his historic place as the first black president in understated but deliberate language, and he spoke of himself as "a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant" yet one who now could take its most sacred oath.

Immediately after the inauguration ceremony, Bush and his wife, Laura, boarded a helicopter alongside the U.S. Capitol, as they began their journey home to Texas. The new president and his wife walked them to the chopper - keeping with tradition - to see them off.

It was a day of high spirits - jarred by sudden concern about the health of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a legendary Democrat who is suffering from brain cancer. He was rushed from a post-inauguration Senate luncheon in honor of Obama. "This is a joyous time but it's also a sobering time," Obama said. "And my prayers are with him and his family and (Kennedy's wife) Vicki."

Doctors said later the seizure had been prompted by fatigue.

When the luncheon finished, Obama lead off the inaugural parade from the Capitol to the White House, paying homage to pioneers who paved the way for the United States' first black president.

To rousing cheers, the new president and his wife stepped out of their limousine to greet part of the enthusiastic crowd that lined the parade route.

Among those following Obama's limousine down Pennsylvania Avenue were re-enactors from a black Civil War regiment, World War II's surviving Tuskegee Airmen - the country's first group of black military pilots and crew - and Freedom Riders who battled for civil rights.

More than 13,000 people from all 50 U.S. states traveled the 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) parade route jammed with joyous onlookers since dawn. Among the marching bands and military units are acrobats and even a drill team pushing whimsically decorated lawn mowers.

Pre-inauguration polls show Americans believe Obama is on track to succeed and express confidence the new president can turn the economy around. But Obama has cautioned that recovery needs time, and that things will get worse before they get better, and he reiterated that message in his inaugural speech.

"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," Obama said. "But know this, America - they will be met."

Obama appeared somber moments earlier, as he stood on the Capitol steps, placed his left hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln and repeated the inaugural oath "to preserve, protect and defend" a Constitution that originally defined blacks as three-fifths of a person. A deafening cheer went up.

He sketched a quiet and thoughtful portrait of the nation as it is, and as it should be.

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness," Obama said.

Tuesday's ceremony was the culmination of a remarkable ascent for the 47-year-old Democrat, who moves into the Oval Office as the nation's fourth youngest president. In less than five years, he rose from a little-known Illinois state lawmaker to the country's highest office, persuading Americans that despite his relative inexperience, he could turn around the economy, end the Iraq war and restore U.S. standing in the world.

He vowed to spare nothing to keep America safe, addressing terrorist foes directly.

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and 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."

And to the larger Muslim world, he promised to "seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Washington spent the afternoon celebrating with a parade, and the festivities were not ending until well after midnight, with dancing and partying at 10 inaugural balls.

The Obamas' first dance was to Beyonce singing the Etta James classic "At Last" at the Neighborhood Ball for people who live in the Washington area. The president was in white tie, and the first lady wore a white sequined one-shoulder gown by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu.

"Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins," Obama said at the Commander in Chief Ball.

Earlier in the day, Bush left a note for Obama in the top drawer of his desk in the Oval Office, following tradition. 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.

Bush flew first to Andrews Air Force Base for a private departure ceremony, then on to a welcome rally in Midland, Texas and finally, by nightfall, his ranch near Crawford, Texas.

As the architect of two unfinished wars and the man in charge at a time of economic calamity, the ex-president left Washington under the cloud of approval ratings hovering at historic lows. People in the crowd booed when Bush's image was flashed on giant screens.

Meanwhile, events kept moving: Wall Street slid, news surfaced that U.S. carmaker Chrysler could be purchased in part by Italian auto giant Fiat, and prosecutors at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sought to suspend all war-crimes trials pending Obama's guidance.

In one of the new administration's first acts, Obama ordered federal agencies to halt all pending regulations until further review - this after Bush's final weeks raised heated debate over rushing new rules into effect on the way out the door.

Obama plunges into his new job in earnest on Wednesday, meeting with his economic team and Iraq advisers while Congress gives his economic revival plan a going-over and takes up the nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state. Her confirmation has been held up for now by one