SENATOR COLLINS’ STATEMENT ON INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
U.S. Senator Susan Collins released this statement following the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
“Today, we witnessed history. We inaugurated our 44th president, our first African American president. The mantle of authority and responsibility has been bestowed peacefully, in an atmosphere of conciliation and good will. It is a tribute to the spirit of the American people. America is known throughout the world for the vigor and passion of our political campaigns. We are admired throughout the world for our unity when the campaigns end.
“I congratulate President Obama and Vice President Biden for their victory, and I commend them for the unity that they have worked so hard to foster during this transition. But the unity we require and the challenges we must meet are not their responsibilities alone. They are the responsibilities of all Americans.
“Nowhere is that more true than in the United States Congress. Shortly after the November election, President-elect Obama and Senator McCain issued a powerful statement calling for a new era of bipartisanship here in Washington. From solving the current economic crisis, crafting a forward-looking energy policy, and protecting our nation’s security to restoring the faith of the American people in their government, we must work together. This is, as they said in that remarkable statement, a “defining moment in history.” We must seize the moment.
“When President Lincoln took the oath of office 148 years ago, the very future of our nation was in jeopardy. With one of the most memorable phrases ever spoken on Inauguration Day, he urged all Americans to listen to the “better angels of our nature.” Those angels still speak to us today. With optimism, confidence, and renewed spirit of bipartisanship, we will hear them. May God bless our President, and may God bless the United States of America.”
“Today, we witnessed history. We inaugurated our 44th president, our first African American president. The mantle of authority and responsibility has been bestowed peacefully, in an atmosphere of conciliation and good will. It is a tribute to the spirit of the American people. America is known throughout the world for the vigor and passion of our political campaigns. We are admired throughout the world for our unity when the campaigns end.
“I congratulate President Obama and Vice President Biden for their victory, and I commend them for the unity that they have worked so hard to foster during this transition. But the unity we require and the challenges we must meet are not their responsibilities alone. They are the responsibilities of all Americans.
“Nowhere is that more true than in the United States Congress. Shortly after the November election, President-elect Obama and Senator McCain issued a powerful statement calling for a new era of bipartisanship here in Washington. From solving the current economic crisis, crafting a forward-looking energy policy, and protecting our nation’s security to restoring the faith of the American people in their government, we must work together. This is, as they said in that remarkable statement, a “defining moment in history.” We must seize the moment.
“When President Lincoln took the oath of office 148 years ago, the very future of our nation was in jeopardy. With one of the most memorable phrases ever spoken on Inauguration Day, he urged all Americans to listen to the “better angels of our nature.” Those angels still speak to us today. With optimism, confidence, and renewed spirit of bipartisanship, we will hear them. May God bless our President, and may God bless the United States of America.”
