Words to inspire and unite, not divide

Finally, after a campaign that claimed two years of national attention, after a transition that seemed almost as long, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th, and the first African American, president of the United States.

On a clear January morning drenched in sunlight, it was possible to be overwhelmed by the panoply of ceremony and symbols, by the jubilant gathering of citizens, and the massive weight of history.

President Obama delivered an inaugural address in his customary measured calm that, in part, belied the sheer fierceness of his language in a striking rebuke of President Bush's policies.

It took but four paragraphs for the new president to begin methodically yet insistently hammering away at the legacy of the man sitting several feet away at the Capitol. "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," Obama intoned.

He called for "an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our policies."

Time and again, with deliberate purpose, Obama refuted the practices of the last eight years. "A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous," he said.

Of course, now even the prosperous are less so.

He follows a president who questioned human contribution to global warming and continued, even in his waning weeks, to champion business interests over the environment. Instead, Obama said, "We will restore science to its rightful place."

He spoke of making America more self-reliant: "Each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." For the Department of Energy, where Bush first installed as secretary a former legislator who once wanted the department abolished, and followed that with a chemical executive, Obama tapped Nobel physicist Steven Chu.

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too large or too small, but whether it works," Obama said.

"As our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals," he said.

Indirectly, Obama condemned the use of torture, honoring "the rule of law and the rights of man" and that "we will not give them up for expedience's sake." Instead, the president noted "that power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please."

Even in a democracy, a president stands alone. So it's telling that one of the most commonly used words in Obama's speech was the inclusive

we

, uttered 62 times. Wisely, Obama was restrained in his use of the campaign mantra

hope

, giving it only three mentions should it risk becoming a hollow platitude.

The president's sole reference to race - the word mentioned once in 20 minutes - and his lineage arrived in the final moments of his speech.

"This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall," he said, "and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath."

If the address failed to astonish - as did his historic "A More Perfect Union" speech on race in Philadelphia - perhaps it's because the nation has become accustomed to a man who was an accomplished writer before he became a legislator, and whose impressive oratorical skills have become an accepted part of our political landscape.

The pageantry and assembled crowd created the electricity. It was left to the rest of us to be overwhelmed by the moment while Obama, once again, exhibited his notable restraint and resolve.