Obama urges unity against ‘raging storms’
First black president takes office, facing an array of problems
AFP/Getty Images
Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday afternoon, promising a new era of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
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updated 10:25 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 20, 2009
Before a jubilant crowd of more than a million, Barack Hussein Obama claimed his place in history as America’s first black president, summoning a dispirited nation to unite in hope against the “gathering clouds and raging storms” of war and economic woe.
On an extraordinary day in the life of America, people of all colors and ages waited for hours Tuesday in frigid temperatures to witness a young black man with a foreign-sounding name take command of a nation founded by slaveholders. It was a scene watched in fascination by many millions — perhaps billions — around the world.
“We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord,” the nation’s 44th president said.
The presidency passed to Democrat Obama from Republican George W. Bush at the stroke of noon, marking one of democracy’s greatest gifts: the peaceful transfer of power…….
Ceremony is more celebration than solemnity
Clarissa M. Rucker / AP
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk along Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday during the inaugural parade.
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