The Traveler

Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Veronica Pucci Members of the UA community watch the innauguration speech of President Obama yesterday afternoon in the Arkansas Union.

History was made on the steps of the United States Capitol yesterday morning when Barack Obama took the presidential oath to become the 44th and first black president of the United States of America. More than 2 million people withstood the harsh, cold weather on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to witness this momentous occasion.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were escorted down the inaugural stairs for the ceremony. Former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney, Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King III were all in attendance, as well.

After both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden took the oath of office, the president spoke for nearly 20 minutes about the perils and obstacles America faces as the country enters this era of change.

"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," Obama said in his first public address as president. "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."

Obama thanked former President George W. Bush for his service to the nation and the generosity and cooperation he has shown through the presidential transition. But while President Bush was mentioned and present at the ceremony, it was his successor who took over the limelight yesterday for the next eight years.

"I didn't get a chance to watch the ceremonies because I was in class, but I'm glad the inauguration has finally happened because I love Obama and I'm excited to see what will happen next," said freshman biology major Jill Inman.

"I was unable to watch it due to having class, but I realize how important it is ... to be respectful to the new president," said junior kinesiology major Jarred Kimball. "We should have been let out of class to show our respect, like Presidents' Day."

Even though Inauguration Day was not treated as a national holiday and people were not let off of work and school, there are still those who will remember where they were when they heard Barack Obama's inauguration speech.

"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," Obama said.

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