Tue, January 20, 2009 - 12:32 PM

Before President Barack Obama departed the Capitol, the White House Web site has been given a makeover. Such is the nature of modern presidential transitions. The new homepage features giant pictures of Obama and his family.

This is what the new administration says about a shift in focus for the site:

Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:

Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.

Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.

Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.

We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign's before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback.

Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office.

--Sean Mussenden

The prepared text of Obama's speech is below.

***

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 cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

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 forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

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

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 health care 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.

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, and 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.

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 labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled 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 plowed the hard earth.

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

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.

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 the 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 health care'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. And all this we will do.

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.

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, programs 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 - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors 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 our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils 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 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.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with 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 cooperation 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 specter of a warming planet. 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.

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 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.

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 today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor 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.

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 - hard work and honesty, 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.

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 sixty 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 traveled. 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.

Somehow, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's seat for the inauguration is in the press section, Neil Simon reports from near the Capitol.

"This is our section," he said. "I'm loving every minute of it."

Bloomberg declined to say where he got his ticket, but the media savvy said he did not intend on sitting in the press section.

Update: a spokesperson for Bloomberg said in an email that the mayor's tickets orginially placed him in a non-press section. But a police officer asked Bloomberg if he would move up to fill an empty seat in the press area and the mayor complied with the request.

--Sean Mussenden

Neil Simon reports from near the Capitol:

Holding a "We Have Overcome" banner that he waved in Chicago's Grant Park on Election Night, Patrick Kennedy of La Porte, Ind., let a stream of people pose with him to mark the inauguration of Barack Obama as America's first black president.

"This isn't a black victory or a white victory, it's an American victory," he said.

Hundreds of people posed with the sign yesterday on Martin Luther King Jr. day, he said. He said that he always insists that people hold one side of the 4-foot-wide sign, which featured red and black lettering on white cloth.

It was a difficult calculation for visitors to the National Mall today: what time to arrive.

Near the Washington monument, Amy Dominello reports that people who showed up at 5:30 a.m. we’re right next to those just showing up at 9:30 a.m. For some, leaving early did not provide much of an advantage.

“I’m here to see Obama, here to see my man. It’s the start of a great era. There’s a good vibe here,” said Chatham Reed, 24, of Shreveport, La., one of thousands of people who continued to pour on the Mall about 9:30 a.m.

By then, Nathan Zingg, 45, of Millersburg, Ky., and his son, Cameron Zingg, 10, had been staked out for hours on the Mall in folding chairs. The brought bagels and cream cheese, and coffee to stay warm.

They got up at 2 a.m. this morning to get to the inauguration. “We want to witness history,” dad said. “I wanted the next generation to see it.”

--Sean Mussenden

President-elect Barack Obama and future soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama just arrived at the White House after leaving church. They're having coffee now with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Also on hand: the Cheneys and the Bidens.

The pool of reporters following President-elect Barack Obama this morning just published details from inside the church. The full unedited report is below. For those unfamiliar with the language of pool reports, PEOTUS stands for "President-elect of the United States" and VPEOTUS stands for "Vice President-elect of the United States."

--Sean Mussenden

***

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:55:26 -0500

PEOTUS and his wife, Michelle Obama, were greeted in front of St. John’s Church on Lafayette Square just before 9 a.m. by the Reverend Luis Leon. They proceeded into the church and took seats at the center of the front row next to VPEOTUS (Joe Biden) and his wife, Jill. About 200 invited guests filled the red pews behind them. The church handed out 12-page programs on yellow paper, under the heading: “INAUGURATION DAY PRAYER SERVICE.”



The ceremony took place on a stage under a stained-glass window depicting the last supper, with an American flag draped on the right side of the stage, over the main podium.

As PEOTUS and VPEOTUS walked down the wood-paneled aisle to enter the church, the rest of the people in attendance stood to sing Hymn 680. Then Rev. Leon gave a welcome address, thanking PEOTUS for his attendance and reminding those gathered that the church has hosted the prayer service for the president-elect 10 times of the morning of inaugurations.

Bishop Charles E. Blake delivered a very brief invocation, and then the church choir sang “This Little Light of Mine.”

Many of the speakers at St. John’s were religious leaders familiar to PEOTUS from his campaign. Dr. Joel Hunter, the senior pastor at Northland who prayed with Obama over the phone on Nov. 4, offered the first prayer. He instructed those sitting near PEOTUS to place their hands on his shoulders and head as a “spiritual means of giving grace.”

He faced PEOTUS and concluded: “Through you made God bless America in a way that we are a blessing to the whole world.”


After a brief reading from Rabbi David N. Saperstein and a solo singing performance by Yolanda Adams, Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell – Pres. George Bush’s spiritual advisor – introduced the keynote speaker: Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor from Potters House in Dallas.

Jakes read from Daniel, 3:19 and used the scripture to offer PEOTUS a series of four lessons for his administration.


1 – “In time of crisis, good men must stand up. God always sends the best men into the worst times.”

2 – “You cannot change what you will not confront. This is a moment of confrontation in this country. There’s no way around it…This is not a time for politeness or correctness, this is a time for people to confront issues and bring about change.”

3 – “You cannot enjoy the light without enduring the heat. The reality is the more brilliant, the more glorious, the more essential the light, the more intense the heat. We cannot separate one from the other.”

4 – “Extraordinary times require extraordinary methods. This is a historical moment for us and our nation and our country, and though we enjoy it and are inspired by it and motivated by it.”

After his four lessons, Jakes turned from the crowd and looked directly at Obama.

“The problems are mighty and the solutions are not simple,” Jakes said, “and everywhere you turn there will be a critic waiting to attack every decision that you make. But you are all fired up, Sir, and you are ready to go. And this nation goes with you. God goes with you.

“I say to you as my son who is here today, my 14-year-old son – he probably would not quote scripture. He probably would use Star Trek instead, and so I say, ‘May the force be with you.”

Monsignor William A. Kerr delivered a brief prayer for VPEOTUS and then The Rev. Otis Moss Jr. delivered a blessing for PEOTUS. Moss Jr. said: “Give to president Obama a double measure of faith and hope, and the strength to do justice…Give him the sight to see all that needs to be seen and the insight to look beyond the clouds and chaos of the moment and see great joys and possibilities. Let the house where he lives and serves be a house of hope for the nation, a house of joy and affection for his family, and the house of friendship for all nations. We thank you eternal god, for our new president, president elect Obama.”

PEOTUS exited the church with his wife at 9:48 a.m. A crowd of several hundred onlookers pressed against a fence down the street and cheered. Obama turned to them and waved before loading into the motorcade and heading for the White House.

The anti-war protest group Code Pink is on hand for the inauguration today, Neil Simon reports. The group is well known for breaking up high profile events with protest chants – congressional hearings, and, last fall, the Republican National Convention, an event with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Democratic National Convention.

Group leader Medea Benjamin says the group has no plans to disrupt the proceedings today. “We’re not protesting, we’re celebrating,” she said near the Capitol, holding up a pink banner calling for the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq.

Another Code Pink member held up a sign echoing Obama’s campaign call, “Yes, We Can.” The woman danced the can-can, while holding up a sign that said “Yes, We Can-Can End the Wars.”

Benjamin said her group has met with members of Obama’s transition team, and she said she expected Obama would make good on his campaign promise to eventually pull out of Iraq.

“I think it’s gonna change,” she said.

--Sean Mussenden.

For those of you watching at home on TV and wondering what the grounds of the Capitol smell like on this historic day, the answer is...manure. Neil Simon reports that the grounds have been coated with fresh mulch for the inauguration and the odor is quite pungent.

--Sean Mussenden

Thousands of people streamed through the streets of Washington, D.C., to make their way to the National Mall to be a part of the historic inauguration Barack Obama.



- Mark Young

The latest celebrities to arrive for Barack Obama's swearing in ceremony are boxing promoter Don King and singer Smokey Robinson. Marsha Mercer reports that the loquacious King was holding court just below the director of the U.S. Marine Band as the band started to play a selection of marches. King kept right on talking, and was heard to say "Only in America, only in America. Great country."

King is wearing a sky blue jacket with glitter stars and bars.

--Sean Mussenden

Amy Dominello reports on inaugural volunteer’s trip into Washington this morning:

Anna Godfrey left her house in suburban Maryland at 3 a.m. this morning, and arrived at the Suitland Metro station before the gates even opened at 4 a.m.

“When the gates lifted, it was like Barack was there,” the cheering was so loud. As official inaugural volunteer stationed on the National Mall, Godfrey had to be downtown at 4 a.m. to help point visitors in the right direction.

The train was packed like a can of sardines, she said. And by 8:30 a.m. on the National Mall by the Washington Monument, it was beginning to get just as packed. “It could get tight and cozy,” she said.

At 9:00 a.m., a National Park Service official told Dominello that areas between the Washington Monument and the Capitol on the National Mall were essentially full. New arrivals hoping for a spot on the Mall should head to the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument to watch.

--Sean Mussenden

We just had our first sighting of the day President-elect Barack Obama, with less than four hours until he drops the elect from that title. He headed out of his temporary quarters at Blair House with his wife Michelle for the traditional inaugural morning worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church, across the street from the White House. He was joined by Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill.

--Sean Mussenden

How cold is it on the National Mall this morning?

So cold that Annie O’Brien’s thermos of hot chocolate froze, Amy Dominello reports. O’Brien, 23, of Smithtown, N.Y., knows cold. She went to school in Vermont. But, she says, “this is probably the coldest I’ve ever been.”

The temperature is in the low 20s.

--Sean Mussenden.

Denzel Washington is the first celebrity to show up in a special VIP section under the podium, Billy House reports from the National Mall.

--Sean Mussenden

Neil Simon reports from the security lines:

The big story this morning is the intense security along the National Mall. More than a hundred thousand people are waiting to be screened -- in some cases multiple times.

The inaugural tickets are color-coded, but few signs direct people to the designated entry point for their section. There are lots of frustrated faces, but also a lot of cheer.

Some people have broken into song. One woman with a megaphone sang the National Anthem, which received a huge roar of cheers. Her voice was pretty good. Another large group sings “I’ve Got Sunshine” as the sun comes up, though it’s overcast with a chance of snow.

--Sean Mussenden