Obama sworn in

WASHINGTON - Despite deep economic worries and a lingering unpopular war, the crowd was jubilant as it gathered to watch witness a historic inauguration. At noon Tuesday, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States.

Change and the challenges that face Americans today were themes in Obama's inaugural speech. The president highlighted some of the problems that Americans must face: a weakened economy, an ailing housing market and war. Hope, however, was also present in his speech, despite the issues that must be faced in the next four years.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," Obama said. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met."

The president made it clear that the change of command will be accompanied by a change in the way business is conducted in Washington.

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works," Obama said. "Whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end."

Obama noted that, although some "cynics question the scale of our ambitions," he still has lofty goals for his presidency, such as creating new jobs, restoring "science to its rightful place, and [wielding] technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost," and also "[harnessing] the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories."

Obama was quick to point out the importance of unity and the necessity of Americans to work together to achieve these goals.

"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned," Obama said. "Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

The president's idea of "remaking America" and setting "aside childish things" was echoed by those in attendance of the inauguration. Actor Tom Hanks, 52, who spoke at the free inaugural concert on Sunday, said the inauguration "is an example of how some really smart people wrote a document that is self correcting."

He added that, "Shoot - [our constitution] is better than it was when I was young. I think we were much closer to being a tribalist nation. We are now one big nation."

According to the Washington Post, over 1.4 million people were present at the national mall to see the swearing-in. Many, the Post reported, were turned away from the event due to lack of standing room. However, such obstacles did little to deter people, many of whom waited a long time and traveled long distances to see the swearing in of the nation's first African American president.

Diane Singer, 53, traveled from Anaheim Hills, Calif., to see the "historic event."

"It's a very important election," she said. "It's a blessing [to have Obama]."

Singer and her husband agreed it was Obama and the significance of the event that brought them so far away from home.

Although 14-year-old Chris Kent and 13-year-old Luke McCartin did not have as far to travel, their reason for braving the below-freezing weather was the same. Both boys agreed that it was the chance to see history in the making that brought them to the Capitol from their hometown of Arlington, Va.

"My friends weren't too excited about the inauguration," Kent said. "But they're Republicans."