President's uncompromising inauguration address sets out liberal agenda for second term - gun control, climate change, immigration reform and gay rights - as he also vows to protect America's social safety net.
His left hand barely removed from the two Bibles chosen for his ceremonial swearing-in, Barack Obama used his second inaugural address boldly to urge his fellow citizens to make the most of the new hour - the end of two wars and the start of an economic recovery - to honour a shared vision of prosperity, peace and equality.
"My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it, so long as we seize it together," Obama asserted in a speech that echoed the beliefs he campaigned on last year, ranging from protecting the poor and disadvantaged to gay marriage, from healthcare and immigration reform to climate change.
As such, he threw down the gauntlet to Republicans - there will be no backing down from the principles he believes in. |