Republicans criticized US President Barack
Obama Tuesday for beginning his second term in office with an overtly
partisan speech aimed at pushing through a liberal agenda and
sidelining their centre-right party.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, noted the
inauguration should be "a time for new beginnings, a chance to learn
from the mistakes and missed opportunities of the past as we re-
engage in some vitally important debates about our future."
"I understand that the passions of an election can sometimes
overshadow the business of governing. But the presidential campaign
is now behind us," he said on the floor of the Senate.
"It's my hope that the president will finally be willing to do
what Republicans have been asking him to do since his first
inauguration four years ago: and that's to work with us on
identifying durable solutions to problems that we can only solve
together - to put aside those things we know we can't agree on and
focus on what we can."
Obama made clear as he marked the start of his second term on
Monday that he was in no mood for compromise and called for a strong
liberal agenda.
"Decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay," he said. "We
cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for
politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate
Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the number three Republican in the
lower House of Represenatives, said in a television interview that he
had hoped Obama would take a more bipartisan tone.
"I was hoping that we would have a second term different than the
first term," he said on broadcaster CBS. "We have big problems in
America. And normally in divided government we achieve big things."
White House spokesman Jay Carney rejected characterizations of the
speech as pushing a liberal or progressive agenda.
"I would say that it was forceful. I would say that it was
confident, and it was confident not in the sense of self- confidence,
but confident about the potential that America has at this moment, if
we seize the moment and work together.
"I hardly think that pursuit of equal rights, pursuit of
comprehensive immigration reform, pursuit of sensible policies that
deal with climate change and enhance our energy independence, are
ideological," Carney said.
"And the only 'ism' that was a part of that speech was his
rejection of absolutism," he said. "But you can be sure it was
confident and it was forceful because he believes we have to act; we
have to come together and act. We have responsibilities that we need
to act on."
Obama spent the morning after his formal inauguration ceremonies
in prayer at the Washington National Cathedral in an interfaith
service.
Obama, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe
Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, sat in the front row of the Episcopal
cathedral Tuesday as African American gospel choirs and the cathedral
choir sang hymns.
Prayers were offered "for our President Barack and our Vice
President Joseph" with a nod to Obama's agenda outlined in his
inaugural speech Monday of advancing human rights and caring for the
environment.
The service with a sermon by a United Methodist pastor included
prayers by Christian leaders, including Washington's Catholic
archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, along with Muslim and Jewish
leaders.
