Delivered as part of a notably scaled-down inauguration ceremony, President Barack Obama’s solemn speech touched on climate change, equality and foreign policy.
“Our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.” he told crowds of 800,000 who had gathered in Washington.
He went on to reference the recent Sandy Hook massacre, adding:
“Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm”
Commenting in The Guardian, Richard Adams says: “Obama wasn’t offering any olive branches to the Republican opposition […] but it was a very political speech, with climate change in particular getting picked out for mention, as well as a general theme of equality. But the overall effect was downbeat.”
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