JUJUBI_JULABI Posted January 21, 2013 Report Posted January 21, 2013 [url="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323940004578255723976467296.html"]http://online.wsj.co...3976467296.html[/url] WASHINGTON—A cheer tore through the National Mall as President [url="http://topics.wsj.com/person/o/barack-obama/4328"]Barack Obama[/url] appeared on the steps of the Capitol on Monday, where he will take a ceremonial oath of office as he embarked on a second term, his ambitions tempered by four tough years in the White House. View Interactive[url="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323940004578255723976467296.html#"][img]http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BU647A_INAUG_D_20130118185402.jpg[/img][/url] [b] [url="http://graphics.wsj.com/inaugural-words/"]In Their Words[/url][/b] Compare how often presidents used selected words in their inaugural addresses. [url="http://graphics.wsj.com/inaugural-words/"][img]http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-WA748_INAUGU_D_20130117175833.jpg[/img][/url] Monday's public ceremony coincided with the national holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As the nation's first black president delivers his second inaugural address from the Capitol steps, he will face a large crowd sprawling down the National Mall and toward the Lincoln Memorial, where a half century ago, Dr. King called on the nation to judge its children not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. He will place his hand on two Bibles as he takes oath Monday—the first once belonged to Dr. King, and second, to President Abraham Lincoln. Monday's crowd will be much smaller than the 1.8 million people who turned out four years ago, and the excitement surrounding the 2009 event couldn't be matched. Still, 500,000 to 700,000 people were expected, far outpacing other past second inaugurals. Supporters arrived pumped up by their success in re-electing their candidate in the face of tough odds and at the prospect of four more years to accomplish their goals. The president has ambitious hopes for a second term—a deficit-reduction agreement, a tax revamp, an immigration overhaul and new gun-control measures top his domestic agenda. Abroad, he must continue to wrestle with the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, and with unexpected crises, such as the hostage crisis in Algeria just days before the inauguration. But Mr. Obama's hopes of creating a new bipartisan tone in Washington, voiced in his first inaugural address, have repeatedly crashed, with the political parties barely able to avert economic disasters like the year-end fiscal cliff that were entirely under their control. In the two and a half months since his re-election, Mr. Obama has struck a confrontational tone with Republicans, forcing them to back down in a year-end deal averting an across-the-board tax increase, and vowing to take his case to Americans rather than try and negotiate with adversaries. Still, for all the disappointments of his first term, Mr. Obama begins his second with some brightened prospects. The economy, far from fully healthy, is no longer in a tailspin. The war in Iraq is over, and the 11-year war in Afghanistan is winding down. Mr. Obama has already accomplished signature legislative achievements on health care and financial regulation, and his administration is now focused on implementing them. Immediately after the public ceremony, Mr. Obama will officially begin the work of his second term, signing paperwork to nominate his choices for four key cabinet posts—John Brennan for the Central Intelligence Agency, Sen. John Kerry for the State Department, Chuck Hagel for the Pentagon and Jacob Lew for Treasury. After the speech, the Obamas were to lead a traditional parade from the Capitol, down Pennsylvania Avenue, back to the White House. The day will end with two star-studded official inaugural balls. As the first family arrived back to the White House after church, supporters gathered for the afternoon inaugural parade periodically shouted "Fired Up!" with others providing the well-practiced, campaign-style response: "Ready to go!" As the president stepped out of his limousine, his oldest daughter, Malia, snuck up on him. "Boo!" she said. "You scared me!" he replied. In partisan Washington, Monday was a rare day of fellowship and good will all around. "Every four years on Inauguration Day, America shows the world that our major political parties can disagree with civility and mutual respect," said a statement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He said the moment represented "a fresh start when it comes to dealing with the great challenges of our day." Mr. Obama's recitation of the oath of office on Monday was to be his fourth—matching President Franklin D. Roosevelt's mark—delivering it twice in 2009 and now twice in 2012. In 2009, he repeated the oath in a private ceremony after lawyers concluded his muffing of the exact words during the public event could create a challenge to his authority.
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