WASHINGTON — Allowing that "our journey is not complete,"
President Obama
offered a robust liberal vision of America in his second inaugural
address, embracing gay rights, action on climate change and a
substantial role for government even as he acknowledged the challenges
of a bitterly divided nation.
An ocean of American flags waved under overcast skies and hundreds of
thousands of faces tilted up just before noon Monday as Obama stood on
the Capitol's West Front and repeated the oath of office in America's
57th presidential inauguration.
Chants of "O-ba-ma" rose, echoing from a packed National Mall. The
atmosphere was festive, but the fevered excitement that welcomed
America's first African American president four years ago had been toned
down. Still, though the crowd appeared smaller, it may rank as one of
the largest for an inaugural celebration.
In an 18-minute speech, Obama
paid tribute to the vast cultural, demographic and political changes
that twice helped sweep him into office.
He also highlighted themes of national unity, borrowing language that even the most ardent
tea party
follower would endorse — praising "the patriots of 1776," describing
freedom as "a gift from God," endorsing healthy skepticism of "central
authority," and describing as "fiction" the notion that government can
solve all ills.
But Obama made clear he views government as essential to fix the
nation's problems and to guarantee the security of its citizens,
reaffirming Democratic ideology stretching from the days of
Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.
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