President Barack Obama issued a powerful defense of government in his second inaugural address on Monday, laying down a detailed challenge to the deeply conservative political opposition in Congress and demanding moderation from those who “mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics.”
Looking down from the U.S. Capitol on a flag-waving crowd of hundreds of thousand on the National Mall, the first African-American president asserted his determination to keep in place the social safety net for the poor, the ailing and the elderly.
As he launched his second term, Obama spoke with fire for the center-left political agenda that first carried him into the White House four years ago. Gone was the need to carefully walk the political center line as he looked to re-election. Back was a readiness to confront the conservative Republicans who regained majority control of the House of Representatives in the 2010 congressional election.
The battle lines have been drawn between Republicans who to reduce the spiraling U.S. deficit and debt by cutting government programs and Obama and congressional Democrats who insist that those programs must be maintained, if modified, and supported by higher taxes.

Obama launches 2nd term; firmly defends government

U.S. President Barack Obama waves during the public ceremonial inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. (AFP)
AFP, Washington
Monday 21 January 2013
Last Update: Saturday, 02 March 2013 KSA 13:10 - GMT 10:10
DAY | WEEK |
-
15873 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
2517 Views Coronavirus: Police detain 100 in Amsterdam after protest over lockdown, curfew
-
1484 Views Israel talks tough on Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas: Our response to be extreme in next war
-
631 Views German court blocks return of two refugees to Greece, citing risks facing them
-
385 Views Grazing cows lead to squabble on Lebanese-Israeli border
-
311 Views US Senate Republicans unite behind failed efforts to halt Trump impeachment trial
-
24093 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19778 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
15867 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
10130 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
8853 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
8456 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
SHOW MORE