His hand of history touches the world

“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 spoke to a sea of cheering people — hundreds of thousands of Americans packed on the National Mall from the Capitol to beyond the Washington monument. The multitude was filled with black Americans and Obama’s triumph was a special and emotional moment for them.

With wife Michelle holding the Bible,Obama,the 47-year-old son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Africa,was sworn in just after noon,a little later than planned,and spoke immediately thereafter. Obama promised to take “bold and swift” action to restore the economy by creating jobs through public works projects,improving education,promoting alternative energy and relying on new technology.

“Starting today,we must pick ourselves up,dust ourselves off,and begin again the work of remaking America,” Obama said. “We have duties to ourselves,our nation and the world,duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly.”

The new president also noted the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “far-reaching network of violence and hatred” that seeks to harm the country. He used strong language in pledging to confront terrorism,nuclear proliferation and other threats from abroad,saying to the nation’s enemies,“you cannot outlast us,and we will defeat you.”

But he also signaled a clean break from some of the Bush administration’s policies on national security. “As for our common defence,we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” he said,adding that the United States is “ready to lead once more.”

“To the Muslim world,we seek a new way forward,” he said,“based on mutual interest and mutual respect”.

He acknowledged that some are skeptical of his ability to fulfill the hope of many that he can move the nation in a new direction.

“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,” said Obama,who ran stressing a commitment to reduce partisanship. “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.”

Hundreds of thousands of people packed the National Mall,buttoned up against the freezing chill but projecting a palpable sense of hope as Obama became the first African American to hold the nation’s highest elected office. It was the largest inaugural crowd in decades,perhaps ever; the throng and the anticipation began building even before the sun rose.

After his speech,following a carefully designed script that played out all morning,Obama headed inside the Capitol and signed nomination papers for the Cabinet members he chose in the weeks following his Nov. 4 victory. The Senate is to confirm some of those new Cabinet secretaries on Tuesday afternoon,but Republicans planned to delay the confirmation of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State for at least one day.

He was to join Congressional leaders and other dignitaries at a luncheon in Statuary Hall. Then he will review the troops — for the first time as commander-in-chief — before he travels back downtown at the front of the inaugural parade,which he will then watch from the reviewing stand at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The crowd,before noon,was easily well into the hundreds of thousands. Even before the sun rose or the mercury rose to the freezing point,people had streamed from all directions to the West Front of the Capitol,making their way on foot and by mass transit,since traffic was barred from a wide area around the grounds and the National Mall for security and to prevent gridlock. Given the historic nature of Obama’s election,black Americans appeared to be much more prevalent in the gathering crowd than at inaugurals of the recent past.

Earlier in the morning,the Obamas went to church,followed by coffee with President

and Laura Bush.