Today, Barack Obama made history as he was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.
In his inaugural address, he acknowledged that we are indeed in an economic crisis, “badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices…”; as well as “Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.” These two statements were made very early on in his speech and told the nation that he was ready to take on these issues head on.
When it comes to the economy, he made the usual promises of creating new jobs and stimulating our commerce. On the new jobs front, did he hint that he might follow in the footsteps of FDR and offer up his own “New Deal” to help resolve our economic issues. Let us just hope that we won’t need to have a large military conflict to shake us from our current crisis as our forefathers had.
His approach on the ongoing conflicts the U.S. is involved in by citing the fact that having already “faced down fascism and communism” not only through military might but also through political strategy makes most of us recall the successes we have had in the past and promise of success in this current endeavor. And he then went on to map out a sketch of what his foreign policy was going to be, mostly that of seeking mutual respect from the Muslim world, offering help to developing nations. He took a moment to express his gratitude to the US Armed Forces, both the living and the dead.
He ended his address with the following…
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.
With that, begins our 44th president’s term of office. Now he faces many a hard road and challenges. With the success of his presidency, what follows for others of diverse racial backgrounds will be an opening to this most important position in the world today. May the Lord and Lady shine upon his term of office and grant him the wisdom and knowledge to fulfill his duties and keep him safe.
Time Magazine’s Full Text of Obama’s Inaugural Address
Official White House Full Text of Obama’s Inaugural Adress (Link will be active once available)
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I may be wrong but Obama mentioned new job creation by stimulating the alternative energy markets in past speeches. I was under the impression that is what he was referring to this time around also. That said, some good old fashioned government work programs to improve the nations infrastructure would also be a good thing.