For the second time in as many days, President Barack Obama swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, beginning his second term as America's 44th President.
Obama, who was administered the official oath of office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in a brief Blue Room ceremony Sunday, swore the oath publicly at the West Front of the Capitol Monday on Bibles used by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. before delivering an 18-minute address that called for the preservation of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; equal pay for women; equal rights for gay Americans; and action on climate change.
"This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience," the President said. "A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands ... My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together."
Some of Obama's speech echoed his fall re-election campaign against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, such as his statement that "we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.
"The commitments we make to each other -- through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security -- these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us," Obama said. "They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great."
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The President also tied his address to the founding of America with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream Speech," delivered at the other end of the Mall in 1963. There were also references to Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall, each touchstones of the civil rights movements for women, African-Americans, and gay Americans.
The speech was comparatively light on foreign policy, and there was no direct mention of the ongoing commitment of American and NATO troops in Afghanistan, where combat operations are due to end in 2014.
"We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war," Obama said. "We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law ... We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom."
Obama's remarks on climate change were more expansive, as he said the failure to "respond to the threat ... would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms."
That segued into a call for the development of renewable energy sources, a process that the President said would be "long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared."
The President did not make any direct mention of gun control or gun legislation. Nor did the word "gun" pass Obama's lips. Instead, there was this oblique statement: "Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm."
The President devoted only a single sentence of his remarks to immigration reform, which many believe will be a top priority of his second term: "Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country."
The ceremony was carried out before dozens of dignitaries and an estimated crowd of at least 500,000 people who packed the National Mall.
Crowds began to gather early Monday, after access points to the parade route opened before 7 a.m. Roads had already closed throughout the district, and there were lines at suburban Metro stations even before the system opened at 4 a.m., reported News4 Transportation reporter Adam Tuss.
The crowds in the early morning were manageable, already seeming to be considerably smaller than the crowds that swelled to almost 2 million people for Obama's first inauguration four years ago. However, U.S. Park Police announced that the Mall was full and closed shortly after the beginning of the inaugural ceremony and began directing pedestrians to an overflow area near the Washington Monument.
The inaugural ceremony was a star-studded affair, featuring musical performances by the United States Marine Band, James Taylor, and Kelly Clarkson. Beyonce, who attended the inauguration with husband Jay-Z, closed the ceremony with a performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Following a leisurely luncheon -- complete with toasts and gifts -- President Obama, Vice President Biden, and their wives departed from the East Front of the Capitol on the Inaugural Parade route, which would take them from the Capitol to the reviewing stand in front of the White House.
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images