English subtitles for clip: File:20090117 WeeklyAddress changegov.ogv

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The President: Good morning.

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On Tuesday, the world will be watching

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as America celebrates a rite that goes
to the heart of our greatness as a nation.

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For the forty-third time, we will execute
the peaceful transfer of power

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from one President to the next.

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The first Inauguration
took place 220 years ago.

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Our nation’s capital had yet to be built,

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so President George Washington
took the oath of office in New York City.

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It was a spring day, just over
a decade after the birth of our nation,

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as Washington assumed the new office
that he would do so much to shape,

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and swore an oath to the Constitution
that guides us to this very day.

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Since then, Inaugurations have taken
place during times of war and peace;

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in Depression and prosperity.

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Our democracy has undergone many changes,

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and our people have taken many steps
in pursuit of a more perfect union.

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What has always endured is this peaceful
and orderly transition of power.

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For us, it is easy to take this central
aspect of our democracy for granted.

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But we must remember that our nation
was founded at a time of Kings and Queens,

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and even today billions
of people around the world

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cannot imagine their leaders giving up
power without strife or bloodshed.

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Through the ages, many have
struggled for the right to live in a land

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where power does not belong
to one person or party,

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and many brave Americans have fought
and died to help advance that right.

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Through the long twilight
struggle of the Cold War,

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our transitions from one President
to the next provided

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a stark contrast to the suffocating
grip of Soviet Communism.

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And today, the resilience
of our democracy stands in opposition

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to the extremists who would tear it down.

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Here at home, transitions also remind us

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that what we hold in common as Americans
far outweighs our political differences.

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Throughout the current transition,
President Bush and his Administration

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have extended the hand of cooperation,

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and provided invaluable
assistance to my team

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as we prepare to hit the ground
running on January 20th.

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There is much work to be done.

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But now, all Americans hold within
our hands the promise of a new beginning.

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That is why the events
of the next several days

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are not simply about the inauguration
of an American President –

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they will be a celebration
of the American people.

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We will carry the voices
of ordinary Americans to Washington.

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We will invite people across the country
to work on behalf of a common purpose

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through a national day
of service on Monday.

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And we will have the most open
and accessible Inauguration in history –

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for those who travel to the capital,

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and for those who choose one of the many
ways to participate in the Inauguration

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from their own communities
and their own homes.

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Together, we know

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that this is a time of great challenge
for the American people.

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Difficult days are upon us,
and even more difficult days lie ahead.

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Our nation is at war.
Our economy is in great turmoil.

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And there is so much work
that must be done

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to restore peace and advance prosperity.

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But as we approach
this time-honored American tradition,

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we are reminded that our challenges
can be met if we summon the spirit

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that has sustained our democracy

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since George Washington
took the first oath of office.

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Addressing the nation that day,

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Washington explained
his decision to serve,

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saying, “I was called by my country,

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whose voice I can never hear
but with veneration and love.”

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This Tuesday, we can reaffirm
our own veneration and love

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for our country and our democracy.

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We can once again provide
an example to the world

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and move forward with a renewed sense
of purpose and progress at home.

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Thanks.