WASHINGTON — Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas is the 44th president of the United States.
Taking the oath of office at 12:05 p.m. Eastern time from Chief Justin John Roberts, Obama placed his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln and said the words:
“I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of President of the United States faithfully, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The hundreds of thousands, possibly more than two million, packed into the National Mall erupted in a deafening roar and waved a sea of U.S. flags.
In bright sunshine, but cold temperatures, the presidency of the U.S. moved from George W. Bush to the 47-year-old former Illinois senator.
Prior to the oath of office, the crowd was treated to a song by Aretha Franklin, and a performance conducted by John Williams featuring Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill.
Vice President Joe Biden was sworn in by Justice John Paul Stevens, the oldest member of the Supreme Court.
Braving hours of long metro and security lines in frigid temperatures, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the capitol grounds and along the National Mall beginning early in the morning.
They’re calling it Obama daze. People streaming into the subways and spilling into the streets greet each other with shouts of “Happy Obama daze.”
The crowds packed into the National Mall. At the Capitol south metro stop hundreds of people flooded the station. A metro worker with a megaphone called out directions. Each time she yelled out “move forward” the crowd responded “Obama!”
Sellers hawked buttons and hand warmers – 5 bucks apiece – on the sidewalks though food vendors were noticeably absent. That caused many travelers to rush anyone holding a bagel or coffee, begging them for directions to the nearest shop.
Although he comes into office facing a massive economic crisis, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a huge U.S. debt, Obama said on the eve of his inauguration: “I don’t sweat. You ever see me sweat?”
Obama, the son of a white Kansas mother and black Kenyan father, took office one day after after the country’s holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the days leading up to the inauguration, Obama took the same train ride from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. as President Abraham Lincoln did 148 years ago.
Although Obama has embraced his status as the first black American president, he avoided the political pitfall of being defined as “the black candidate” on the campaign trail. When his reverend, Jeremiah Wright, sparked racial controversy, Obama responded with a national speech on race focused on uniting, rather than further dividing, the country.
Obama’s path to the presidency started more than two years ago, when he was considered a long-shot in light of Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. The historic race between Obama, a black man, and Clinton, a white woman, broke primary and caucus turnout records – about 35 million people came out in total. It also pitted change against experience and revealed significant gender and racial rifts within the Democratic Party. Obama received huge support from African-Americans and younger, more liberal, wealthier and more-educated voters. Clinton was backed by older, more blue-collar, Latino and female voters.
However, in the months leading up to Election Day, Obama consciously reached out to Clinton supporters and tried to heal any hard feelings. While he and GOP candidate John McCain were neck and neck for awhile, in the campaign’s final weeks, economic turmoil swirled around the world. After a number of missteps, McCain was thrown back on his heels, forced to defend states that historically vote Republican. And although McCain, a self-described maverick touting the mantra of “country first,” had furiously tried to cut Obama’s advantage in swing states in the campaign’s waning days, he couldn’t gain traction with independent voters.
