Barack Hussein Obama _ 44th president of United States of America "A New Birth Of Freedom"

"Barack Obama will be sworn in as president just days before the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and his inauguration theme will reflect the timing: "A New Birth Of Freedom," a phrase from the Gettysburg Address.

From Lincoln's speech:

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

From the press release announcing the theme from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies:

"A New Birth of Freedom" commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The words come from the Gettysburg address, and express Lincoln's hope that the sacrifice of those who died to preserve the nation shall lead to "a new birth of freedom" for our nation.


The inaugural theme, which was selected by Senator Feinstein and the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, will be woven through the inaugural ceremonies. The theme is traditionally linked to a major anniversary, and in her announcement Senator Feinstein spoke of the appropriateness of the chosen theme to our present day circumstances, particularly in light of the historic election of Senator Barack Obama.

In addition to Senator Feinstein, the members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies include: Senator Bob Bennett, Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; and House Republican Leader John Boehner.

"At a time when our country faces major challenges at home and abroad, it is appropriate to revisit the words of President Lincoln, who strived to bring the nation together by appealing to 'the better angels of our nature'," Senator Feinstein said. "It is especially fitting to celebrate the words of Lincoln as we prepare to inaugurate the first African-American president of the United States."

"On January 20, as President-elect Obama takes the oath of office, he will look across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, where the sixteenth president's immortal words are inscribed. Although some inaugural traditions have changed since Lincoln's time, the swearing-in ceremony continues to symbolize the ideals of renewal, continuity, and unity that he so often expressed."\\huffington post

"Renunciation of the Bush era
Nowhere was Barack Obama's inaugural address more outspoken or heartfelt than in the condemnation of the presidency that had come to an end moments earlier.

The Bush epoque was "our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions". He presented it as a detour from America's destiny, and he repeatedly invoked the need to return to American ideals stretching back to the country's most celebrated founding father and first president, George Washington. In other words, as Obama has said before, it was time for America to reboot. Early in the speech, he briskly ran through a catalogue of failure: "Our healthcare is too costly; our schools fail too many" while America's energy policies, "strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet". In a withering farewell to the age, he quoted Corinthians - "the time has come to set aside childish things".

A "new era of responsibility" and an end to plutocracy
To put an end to this age of fecklessness, Obama's emphasis was on the need for shared sacrifice. It was intended as a counterpoint to one of the most criticised aspects of the Bush presidency - that it called for huge sacrifices from the nation's servicemen, but not from its civilians and especially not for its rich, who benefited from extraordinary tax cuts. Obama warned that Americans would have to recognise "that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world." In place of "those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame" - the people Bush once jokingly referred to as "his base" - the new president looked for inspiration to the unknown Americans "obscure in their labour", who had fought and worked "till their hands were raw". Noting that "a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous", Obama in effect called for an end to plutocracy. It was as close to class rhetoric as an American president ever comes.

A green new deal
In an echo of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first inaugural, Obama said it was not the nation that had failed. The crisis was a consequence of failure of leadership, and the "greed and irresponsibility" of a few. The answer was to get back to work, with the government in the lead. It was a 21st Century version of FDR's New Deal, with a pledge that when the country rebuilt, it would rebuild in a sustainable way. "We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together," Obama said. "We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories." Science would be "restored to its rightful place.

A return to soft power
One of the few times the rhythm of the speech was broken by spontaneous applause was when Obama rejected what he portrayed as a false choice "between our safety and our ideals". The short phrase encapsulated a deep-seated unease that, in striking out against its enemies, America had lost its way, stumbled into Guantanamo Bay and "black" CIA detention sites, and abdicated its claim to moral leadership. Obama promised the rest of the world "we are ready to lead once more". What had won previous great struggles had been "sturdy alliances and enduring convictions" not "power alone". Americans could not "do as we please", but had to rely more on soft power - "the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humilty and restraint", and addressing the Muslim world in particular, he offered a "new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect".

Pragmatism above all
Time and again, Obama made clear his intention was not to lurch from one deeply ideological administration to another. Pragmatism would the watchword in the White House. Government programs would be pursued when they worked, axed when they did not. Market forces were neither good nor bad. They could generate wealth but had to be kept under a "watchful eye". Similarly foreign policy would be geared to the realities of the outside world. Even despots could be forgiven, knowing that America "will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist"\\via guardian uk

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