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January 21, 2009

Obama: Military Power “Doesn’t Entitle Us to Do As We Please”
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Moments later, Obama delivered his inaugural address. The speech
contained what appeared to be several subtle criticisms of the Bush
administration. In an apparent reference to torture and civil liberties
violations in the so-called war on terror, Obama spoke of ending what he
called a “false choice between our safety and our ideals.” And he also
said, “Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do
as we please.” Speaking one day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Obama
noted the historical significance of his becoming the nation’s first
black president.

President Obama: "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, and why a man whose father
less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local
restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

An estimated two million people braved freezing temperatures to witness
the historic ceremony.



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