January 21, 2013

Inauguration Day 2013

President Barack Obama officially began his second term yesterday when he took the oath of office in the White House Blue Room. This morning, shortly before noon, he will take the oath again on the steps of the West Front of the Capitol and deliver his formal second inaugural address.

What the president will say is a closely held secret, but many expect him to provide a broad vision for his second term priorities. He will have an opportunity to give more specifics in just a few short weeks when the president gives his State of the Union Address.

Will energy, climate change and natural resources be included in the president’s remarks today? It is hard to say. But I suspect there will be some mention. We can look back to four years ago and get a sense of how the president may touch on some of these issues in his remarks and his vision for addressing them:

The issue: “[E]ach day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”

The vision: “We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.  We'll restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.  We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories…With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.”

Photo: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in President Barack Obama in the Blue Room of the White House on January 20, 2013. Courtesy of Lawrence Jackson.  

More from CNAS

  • Commentary
    • The Diplomat
    • October 30, 2017
    Climate Change: The New Asian Drama

    When the Swedish economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal wrote his magisterial three volume study of postwar economic and political development in Asia, he questioned whether ...

    By ​Neil Bhatiya

    • Commentary
    • Foreign Policy
    • June 1, 2017
    Why Abandoning Paris Is a Disaster for America

    Ever the showman, President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday about his soon-to-be-announced decision on whether or not to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement with the air of...

    By Julianne Smith

    • Congressional Testimony
    • June 19, 2014
    Elizabeth Rosenberg before Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources

    Elizabeth Rosenberg, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Environment and Security program, testifies before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources....

    By Elizabeth Rosenberg

    • Congressional Testimony
    • March 26, 2014
    CNAS Senior Fellow Elizabeth Rosenberg at House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Elizabeth Rosenberg, senior fellow and director of the Energy, Environment and Security program, testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the geopolitical po...

    By Elizabeth Rosenberg

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia