* Official oath in private on Sunday
* Public swearing-in to be held Monday
* Less excitement than landmark 2009 event
* Mood tempered by economic and political woes
* Can politicians “bury the hatchet” for a day?
By Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will
take the official oath of office in a small, private ceremony at
the White House on Sunday, setting a more subdued tone for his
second inauguration than his historic swearing-in four years
ago.
Obama will still be sworn in publicly outside the U.S.
Capitol on Monday with all the traditional pomp, but that event
will be mostly for show.
Technically, Sunday is the only one that really counts
according to the Constitution, which mandates that the president
be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Compared to the momentous atmosphere of Obama’s first
inauguration, the mood will be different this time.
A bitter 2012 election fight, stubbornly high unemployment
and fiscal showdowns – both past and still looming – have
tempered the hope that Obama symbolized when he took office
after sweeping to victory on a mantle of change as America’s
first black president.
This time the crowds are expected to be smaller and
enthusiasm surrounding the event diminished.
“For a lot of people, this is kind of old hat,” said Russell
Riley, an expert on presidential rhetoric at the University of
Virginia. “The newness and excitement around the president’s
first history-making inauguration has given way to time-worn
political reality.”
On Sunday, following a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington
National Cemetery, Obama will be sworn in at the White House at
11:55 a.m. EST (1655 GMT). That portion will be private – except
for a limited media presence – with a small audience of mostly
family members gathered in the Blue Room.
Obama repeats the procedure the next day in the customary
ceremony on a giant platform overlooking the National Mall.
Ronald Reagan in 1985 was the last president to take the oath
twice to avoid holding Inauguration Day festivities on a Sunday.
Both times, Obama will be sworn in by Chief Justice John
Roberts who, after flubbing the oath the first time in 2009,
administered it to Obama again in the White House the day after
his inauguration.
INAUGURAL ADDRESS IS CENTERPIECE
While second inaugural addresses rarely make history,
Obama’s speech on Monday will be the centerpiece of the
celebration and a chance to lay out his vision for the next four
years.
The audience is not expected to be as big as in 2009 when a
record 1.8 million people crammed into the National Mall to
witness the swearing-in, but turnout is projected at 600,000 to
800,000, with millions more watching on television.
Although Obama won re-election decisively in November and
his public approval ratings have hovered above 50 percent, he
will usher in his second term facing an array of daunting
challenges.
Battles are brewing with Republicans over spending, taxes,
the national debt limit, gun control and immigration reform,
while overseas he has the tasks of winding down the war in
Afghanistan and reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
This weekend, Obama found himself juggling inauguration
preparations and his presidential duties, including briefings on
the fate of Americans and others caught up in a deadly hostage
siege at a gas plant in Algeria.
Obama will save specific policy proposals for his annual
State of the Union speech before Congress on Feb. 12, and on
Inauguration Day he will instead focus more on broad goals and
loftier themes, aides say.
In his inaugural speech, Obama is expected to talk about the
need for political compromise where possible – a nod to the
divisive fights with the Republican-led House of Representatives
over fiscal matters. That, however, will also remind Americans
of his own failure to meet his promise to be a transformational
leader who would fix a dysfunctional Washington.
“It’d be great if the inauguration were a unifying moment –
though I honestly can’t say it will be. But just maybe for a day
they can bury the hatchet and celebrate an important day for
American democracy,” Brian Hurley, 57, a local salesman, said as
he guided an out-of-town visitor outside the White House gates.
But mindful of just how low the Republicans’ poll numbers
have sunk, Obama may seize the opportunity to appeal to
Americans to bring pressure to bear on their lawmakers.
With the public ceremony falling on the national holiday
honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Obama
will also have a chance to draw historic parallels. While taking
the oath on Monday, he will place his left hand on two Bibles –
one once owned by Abraham Lincoln and other by King.
Obama kicked off inauguration events on Saturday, rolling up
his sleeves at a school renovation project as he joined in a
nationwide day of community service to celebrate King’s legacy.
Workers, meanwhile, were putting the finishing touches on
viewing stands stretching along the parade route, security
barriers were going up, and thousands of police and National
Guard troops were being deployed around the city.
Sunday’s events begin at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) when Vice
President Joe Biden is sworn in at a private ceremony at the
Naval Observatory. The Obamas and Bidens will attend an evening
inaugural reception at the National Building Museum.
On Monday, after the president’s address, Obama and Biden
will ride in the inaugural parade, returning to the White House
in a motorcade. They likely will get out to walk part of the
way, waving to the crowd and surrounded by Secret Service
agents.
After seeing the rest of the parade from a viewing platform
in front of the White House, the Obamas will attend two official
inaugural balls – compared to the 10 that were held in 2009.
(Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal, Deborah Charles and
Jeff Mason; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alistair Bell
and Eric Beech)
