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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On his first full day back in Washington, President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday visited Arlington National Cemetery and will attend a concert at the Lincoln Memorial. His visit marked the end of his three-day train tour from Illinois to the nation's capital and the beginning of the huge challenges Obama faces, including making good on his campaign promise to start bringing troops home from Iraq.
Joined by Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families, Obama helped lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The event lasted about 30 minutes before Biden and Obama headed to separate church services.
The Obamas, including daughters Sasha and Malia, and Michelle Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, attended the 19th Street Baptist Church in northwest Washington.
After a reading from Psalms, an associate pastor led a prayer. "Yes we can, in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen," she said.
Obama is due to appear at the Lincoln Memorial at 2:30 p.m. The first families will join him. He will give a speech at 4 p.m.
The "We are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration" at the Lincoln Memorial will feature performances by Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.
For the past three days, Obama has been on a shortened version of President Abraham Lincoln's 1861 rail trip to Washington. Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president on Tuesday in Washington. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the 137-mile trip began, Obama alluded to the president who inspired his train journey.
Obama used a call-to-action Lincoln made in his inaugural address in 1861 appealing to Americans' "better angels."
"What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives -- from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry -- an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels," Obama said.
Crowds gathered along the route to catch a glimpse of him. In Baltimore, Maryland, about 40,000 stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the brutal cold to greet Obama.
Tears rolled down one woman's face as Obama spoke. "We love you, Obama!" someone yelled out.
"I love you back," Obama answered calmly, eliciting a roar from the crowd.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday morning suggests most Americans see Obama's inauguration as a chance for a divided America to unify.
"You know the country is in the middle of a honeymoon when 6 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of Obama," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
CNN's John King interviewed Obama this week in Ohio. King noted that Obama will take the oath of office on the steps of a Capitol built on the backs of slaves and live in a house built on the backs of slaves.
"This has to be incredibly overwhelming," King said.
"If you think about the journey that this country has made, it can't help but stir your emotions," Obama replied. "Obviously, it's an extraordinary personal moment. But you don't have to go back to slavery. You can think about what Washington, D.C., was like 50 years ago, 60 years ago.
"The notion that I will be standing there and sworn in as the 44th president, I think, is something that hopefully our children take for granted. But our grandparents are still stung by it and it's a remarkable moment." Video Watch Obama's interview with King »
Sunday and Monday are the final two days that Obama can revel in his victory before he begins the arduous task of repairing the nation's economy, among other problems.
Obama's words in Philadelphia and elsewhere during his train trip alluded to the difficulty ahead.
"There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments," he said. "I will make some mistakes, and we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency."
Source: CNN.COM
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Joined by Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families, Obama helped lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The event lasted about 30 minutes before Biden and Obama headed to separate church services.
The Obamas, including daughters Sasha and Malia, and Michelle Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, attended the 19th Street Baptist Church in northwest Washington.
After a reading from Psalms, an associate pastor led a prayer. "Yes we can, in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen," she said.
Obama is due to appear at the Lincoln Memorial at 2:30 p.m. The first families will join him. He will give a speech at 4 p.m.
The "We are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration" at the Lincoln Memorial will feature performances by Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder.
For the past three days, Obama has been on a shortened version of President Abraham Lincoln's 1861 rail trip to Washington. Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president on Tuesday in Washington. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the 137-mile trip began, Obama alluded to the president who inspired his train journey.
Obama used a call-to-action Lincoln made in his inaugural address in 1861 appealing to Americans' "better angels."
"What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives -- from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry -- an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels," Obama said.
Crowds gathered along the route to catch a glimpse of him. In Baltimore, Maryland, about 40,000 stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the brutal cold to greet Obama.
Tears rolled down one woman's face as Obama spoke. "We love you, Obama!" someone yelled out.
"I love you back," Obama answered calmly, eliciting a roar from the crowd.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday morning suggests most Americans see Obama's inauguration as a chance for a divided America to unify.
"You know the country is in the middle of a honeymoon when 6 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of Obama," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
CNN's John King interviewed Obama this week in Ohio. King noted that Obama will take the oath of office on the steps of a Capitol built on the backs of slaves and live in a house built on the backs of slaves.
"This has to be incredibly overwhelming," King said.
"If you think about the journey that this country has made, it can't help but stir your emotions," Obama replied. "Obviously, it's an extraordinary personal moment. But you don't have to go back to slavery. You can think about what Washington, D.C., was like 50 years ago, 60 years ago.
"The notion that I will be standing there and sworn in as the 44th president, I think, is something that hopefully our children take for granted. But our grandparents are still stung by it and it's a remarkable moment." Video Watch Obama's interview with King »
Sunday and Monday are the final two days that Obama can revel in his victory before he begins the arduous task of repairing the nation's economy, among other problems.
Obama's words in Philadelphia and elsewhere during his train trip alluded to the difficulty ahead.
"There will be false starts and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments," he said. "I will make some mistakes, and we will be called to show patience even as we act with fierce urgency."
Source: CNN.COM
.::. All my articles can be view here: MELTED HEARTS .::.
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