"A New Birth of Freedom"

President Obama pledges open foreign policy and encourages America to 'dust ourselves off' and rebuild the economy. On the steps of the nation's Capitol, just a short distance from where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, using the same bible Abraham Lincoln did for his inauguration, with the country in dire conditions similar to when FDR took office, Barack Obama was officially sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America on in Tuesday afternoon (January 20).

The moment crystallized the former U.S. senator's historic rise to become the first African-American to hold the country's highest office. Just over four years ago, Obama introduced himself to the nation with his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. His oratory skill wowed the audience then and continued to do so throughout his two-year campaign for the presidency. Click here for a transcript of his speech.

Following his speech, Elizabeth Alexander gave the inaugural poem. Alexander had the toughest time slot of the morning. She had to follow Obama's inspirational speech with her ode to the inauguration. Tough to hold onto an audience that had waited hours in the cold. But her words were equally inspiring, invoking images worthy of a Rockwell painting. I particularly liked this portion: "Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables." Click here for a transcript of the poem.

A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world. Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement. WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first.