Obama sworn in as new president

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Washington — It’s official: Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States.

Obama told a crowd of more than a million that stretched from the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial in the distance that the nation must choose “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The millions of people present to watch Obama take his oath of office are a testament to the faith Americans have placed in the new president, but now that he’s in office, Obama will have to prove he can deliver on the promises of his campaign.

The recent unrest between Israel and Hamas and the ongoing economic recession will likely change the way Obama approaches the first months of his presidency, but Americans are still expecting him to make good on his promises to end the Iraq war, reform the health care and education systems and invest in a green economy.

“There are a whole bunch of other things that I think are going to be higher priority,” said Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics. “He’ll probably say, ‘OK, here’s as much as we can afford to do … we’re not forgetting it, we’re trying.”

Ballenger said Obama may have gone a bit too far in promising swift change, and could have trouble when Americans expect more than he can deliver in the first stages of his presidency.

“We are in a bad situation, and this is not something where somebody can come in and wave a magic wand,” Ballenger said. “On the other hand, I think the expectations are unrealistically high for Obama on what he can accomplish very quickly.”

Obama said it was time for swift and bold action to create new jobs and lay a foundation for growth. Congressional Democrats have readied an $825 billion stimulus plan of tax cuts and spending for roads, bridges, schools, electric grids and other projects.

“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works,” the new president said.

“ … Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed,” Obama said. “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America.”

Obama wove a thread of personal responsibility and accountability through his inaugural address. He spoke of a “new era of responsibility” and alluded to the inability — or unwillingness — of Americans to adjust to the passing of an industrial-based economy.

“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,” he said.

Staff writer Kelly House and The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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