Barack Obama

With his trip to the Middle East and Europe, Sen. Barack Obama is trying to overcome Americans' preference for John McCain's long foreign affairs experience by showing himself to be a thoughtful student with creative answers to the thorny issues the U.S. faces around the world. It's a strategy that carries with it significant political risks, as he likely will make himself a target for a steady stream of questions and challenges here and abroad. Mr.

Around the city, the region, the country - and perhaps the world - people stopped what they were doing yesterday to take in the pageantry and the significance of the moment that a black man, the son of an African immigrant, became president of the United States. Some stayed close to home, gathering together to share this day in history. Those who made it to Washington braved low temperatures and enormous crowds - and even if they were hundreds of thousands of bodies away from the ceremony, stuck in place along the parade route without access to the TV screens showing the swearing-in, shut out of the places they hoped they'd be, they were excited they would have a story to tell from the day Barack Obama became the 44th president.

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama took his place as the 44th president of the United States under a bright January sky yesterday, painting the dark national moment in unsparing terms and exhorting Americans to respond by taking greater responsibility for themselves, the country and the world. Standing on the West Front of the Capitol as the first African-American sworn in as president, Obama celebrated that historic achievement, noting that his ascendance symbolized "who we are and how far we have traveled."

For weeks leading up to the November election, Alison Velez Lane spent evenings and weekends volunteering for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, even traveling across state lines to help sway voters. "[It] gave me great hope. It showed that Dr. King's dream for me to live in a world where I am not judged by the color of my skin but the 'content of my character' is alive," said the Baltimore attorney. Lane, 46, also felt a personal connection to the candidate. "President-elect [Obama]

They wrote speeches and poems and plotted graphs with the ages of presidents upon inauguration. Yesterday's inauguration of Barack Obama provided boundless learning opportunities for students in area classrooms - assuming they were in school. Baltimore schools were closed yesterday amid predictions of high student and teacher absenteeism. But Baltimore Freedom Academy and Robert W. Coleman Elementary organized field trips to Washington for students, the first departing at 3:30 a.m., the other at 5 a.m. Suburban districts reported higher-than-usual absenteeism of students and teachers.

An American flag hangs in the second-floor lobby of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, and at some point today, William Thomas Capps Jr. plans to stand under it. It's the same flag Mr. Capps had flown at the U.S. Capitol last fall to honor Barack Obama. The Glen Burnie truck driver was so sure of Mr. Obama's character and his presidential potential that he knew change was coming and wanted to mark the occasion. Now he's sharing his piece of history with all of Maryland.

Catholics voted decisively in this month's election for Barack Obama, 54 percent to 45 percent, according to exit polls. This was a big reversal from four years ago, when Catholics favored George W. Bush by 5 percentage points. Now the debate is on. The U.S. Bishops, meeting last week in Baltimore, wrestled with the implications of election results that showed Catholics rejecting the dictates of the most conservative and outspoken bishops, who urged parishioners to vote Republican. The putative argument for these bishops was that only Republicans are sufficiently pure on the abortion question.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Politics-mad New Hampshire, jaded beyond reason by never-ending presidential campaigns, hadn't seen anything quite like this before. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama made his debut in the kickoff primary state to adoring responses yesterday from large crowds of voters seemingly convinced that they were witnessing the next big thing on the national scene. "I see him as very messianic," said Kelsey Woodward, a 64-year- old artist, at Obama's first stop, in Portsmouth. "People are craving a fresh voice, a fresh face, a fresh outlook."

Television loves ritual and pageantry. And yesterday, the medium absolutely soared on the feast of both, found in the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. TV and its small-screen online cousins have never provided more or better coverage of an inauguration - John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan included. Part of that, of course, involves the simple fact that thanks to new media there are more viewing options than ever. But beyond that, there were more diverse voices than ever on the airwaves and Internet, and more astute producers and anchors in traditional media who knew when to step back from their own chatter to let the soul-stirring imagery and joyful calls of the crowds speak for themselves.

Washington - In running a successful national campaign, Barack Obama laid down guidelines that came to be seen as hallmarks of his leadership style. He prizes loyalty, discretion, teamwork and selflessness, say those who have worked with him. But as he shapes a new administration, the president-elect is dealing with a more complex challenge and a different set of needs. "Governing is different from campaigning, and running a White House is different from running a campaign," said Steve Elmendorf, deputy campaign manager for 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry.