MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

USA: Stage set for Obama to make history

Barack Obama will make history when he is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States - the first black American to hold the post.

At around midday local time, Mr Obama will place his hand on President Abraham Lincoln's inaugural bible and take the Oath of Office. In front of a massive global audience - not to mention the millions braving the Washington cold in person - the ceremony will usher in a new era of American politics. Confronting Mr Obama when he takes up residence in the White House will be an economy in deepening recession, and a country fighting wars on two fronts. But the realities of the task ahead are likely to give way to optimism, given the historical significance of the occasion. Today at around 11.30am, the president-elect and vice president-elect Joe Biden will gather at the west front of the US Capitol building as official proceedings begin. For the first time the entire National Mall leading up to the Lincoln Memorial - where in 1963 Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a dream" speech - will be opened to those wishing to attend. Estimates of the number of people expected to attend events in Washington range from between one and four million. They will watch as America swears into office its first black head of state. In his much-anticipated inaugural speech, Mr Obama is expected to urge American individuals and businesses to take responsibility for their actions. It has been reported that in the course of a 20-minute address he will say that a "me first" mentality has hurt the US and contributed to the economic crisis the country faces.