Barack Obama delivers his second inaugural address

President Barack Obama kicked off his second term with an inaugural address that called for national unity and setting a pragmatic tone for the daunting challenges he faces over the next four years. Obama's ceremonial swearing-in at the US Capitol was filled with traditional pomp and pageantry, but it was a scaled-back inauguration compared to the historic start of his presidency in 2009 when he swept into office on a mantle of hope and change as America's first black president. With second-term expectations tempered by lingering economic weakness and the political realities of a divided Washington, Obama acknowledged the difficult road ahead even as he sought to build momentum from his decisive November re-election victory.