hope over fear

Visitors walk past flags near the Washington Monument in Washington, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009, a day before Barack Obama's presidential inauguration.

Before hundreds of thousands, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America at 12:05pm EST on January 20, 2009. His inaugural speech included the following: "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

The president thanked his predecessor, George W. Bush, and said he was “humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”
Obama acknowledged that “we are in the midst of crisis.”
“Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” he said. “Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”
Saying “The time has come to set aside childish things,” Obama declared “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.”