Several different version of Barack Hussein Obama's Inaugural Address, as transcribed. Please see our eBook #28001 for the official White House version of the text. Version 1: As transcribed by a team of Project Gutenberg volunteers The following 2445 words comprise Barack Hussein Obama's Inaugural Presidential Address given from noon to 12:15 P.M., January 20, 2009. [Capitals represent emphasis, extra commas represent pauses, long pauses are represented by ellipses (. . .).] This was typed by a team of volunteers, as the address was given, and put through several proofreadings for accuracy. Barack Obama's Inaugural Address This is Michael Hart's transcription of President Obama's Inaugural Speech. It was typed my hand on a new computer, so there may be more errors than I would have liked if my old one hadn't died last night. We will be combining this with other versions that will be coming in and a few references to the official version, but we will stick to what was said as opposed to the official script. My paragraphs will not always be the same length, punctuation not always the same, etc. Michael S. Hart Founder Project Gutenberg /// My fellow Americans, I stand before you today, humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices born by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation [applause pause], as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. 44 Americans have now taken the presidential oath. Words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity, and the still waters of peace. Yet every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds, and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on, not simply because of the vision or skill of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents. So it has been, so it must be with THIS generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war with a far reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices, and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered/shattered???, our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings brings new evidence that the way we use energy strengthens our adversaries and threatens our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound is the sapping of confidence across our land, a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.