Obama calls for “new era of responsibility”

Swearing in

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama, sworn in today as nation’s first African-American president, called for “a new era of responsibility” to restore America at home and abroad.

Obama, the nation’s 44th president, said the bedrock American values of courage and honesty will help the nation weather wars and the financial crisis.

In a 19-minute inaugural address interrupted at least six times by applause, he called on the nation to set aside partisan divisions and mend a shattered economy and peacefully conclude wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking at the West front of the U.S. Capitol before a National Mall crowd estimated at more than 2 million, Obama did not minimize the nation’s difficulties, but pledged that Americans will persevere.

“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,“ he said.

The gravity of the challenges means that Americans must transcend partisanship, Obama said.

“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,“ Obama said. “We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.“

Obama, sworn in by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., also warned the nation’s adversaries that the United States will be firm, but is prepared to forge peaceful relationships.

“We are ready to lead once more,“ Obama said.

The new president said that America’s “patchwork heritage” is a strength, not a weakness.

“We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers,“ he said. “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.“

Obama called on Americans to reaffirm the nation’s bedrock values of “hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism,“ adding that “what is required of us now is a new era of responsibility.“

Such values are “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,“ Obama said.

Referring to his father, who was born in Kenya, Obama said those values are “why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.“

Obama recapped many of the themes he emphasized through his campaign: disciplined federal spending, energy independence, a revived economy and openness in government.

The swearing-in was rich with symbolism, coming one day after the nation observed the birth of civil-rights martyr the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King, in a famous speech delivered in 1968, spoke of “a mountaintop” of equality and freedom.

Today, King’s longtime associate, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, in a benediction, alluded to King’s remarks and to Obama’s presidency,

“As we leave this mountaintop, help us hold onto this fellowship,“ Lowery said.