Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office just after 12 noon on the steps of the Capitol and in full view of a sea of people stretching all the way to the Lincoln Memorial at the other end of the National Mall.
Moments before, Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president and so became the first Catholic to hold this office in the nation’s history.
Obama, smiling and waving and looking relaxed despite the deep feelings that had to be dominating his thoughts, was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts before a galaxy of political luminaries including outgoing president George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
The oath taken, Obama became the 44th president though in fact the 43rd man to occupy the office because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms.
The inauguration went off with no apparent hitch though there was quickly a cause for concern when Senator Edward Kennedy, whose support during the presidential campaign was crucial in Obama’s success, and who is battling cancer, collapsed at a celebratory lunch in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
The senator, who is 76, was taken by ambulance to hospital.
After he took the oath of office and after thanking outgoing president George W. Bush for his service to the nation, Obama, in a speech that was shorter than many had expected, addressed the economic fears of the American people and also recognized that the world’s financial stability is intrinsically linked to the health of the United States.
He appealed for a future filled with less violence and hatred to a crowd of the old and young of every shape and hue.
“America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more,” said President Obama.
From the steps of the Capitol to the bottom of the Washington Monument, people cheered but also listened somberly to the speech of the first African American President of the United States. There was an exuberance in the crowd, but also a sense of the history of the moment and gravity of the issues immediately facing the new president.
President Obama spoke directly about the strength that the U.S. has received through generations of immigrants.
“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,” he said.
Authorities estimated that two million people were on the Mall for the inauguration. In general, it was an orderly crowd, but many were disappointed when gates were closed and even those with official tickets were barred from admittance to designated areas. Even with such chaos and disappointment, there were not any major incidents involving security.
In the VIP area directly next to the speaking podium was a new kind of Washington elite. Beyonce, rapper Jay-Z, Sean Combs (aka P Diddy) mixed with Denzel Washington and Smokey Robinson. Choruses of “Amen” punctuated Mr. Obama’s speech from seats filled with a decidedly more hip mix of celebrities than would have been in attendance for more recent inaugurations.
Irish Americans who worked on behalf of the Obama/Biden ticket traveled to participate in the festivities.
Jim Cavanaugh came here from Omaha, Nebraska to witness history in the making. Cavanaugh, an attorney, worked for the Irish American Democrats in his home state and on phone banks for the primaries in Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania.
He was thrilled to make it to Washington for the celebration. He was joined by friends from Ireland who had traveled all the way from Kildare.
“People used to be so dispirited and they were tired of being scared all the time on foreign issues. We know that we don’t have to be at war with the whole world all the time and Barack Obama brings that message of hope versus fear,” said Cavanaugh.
Also in the inaugural crowd was New Yorker Chris Cunneen, a former Wall Street worker who joined the fire department after 9/11 and is now based in the South Bronx.
Cuneen won one of ten special tickets after writing an essay on what Obama’s election to the presidency meant to him.