First inauguration. That of course saw a recordsetting crowd, nearly 2 Million People. No one is expecting anything quite like that this time around but still, folks have been finding spaces on the mall tonight since the sun came up. You can see them setting up spots now. We will be covering the entire inaugural ceremony live. And if youre not at your tv you can watch our live stream on our home page at news hour. Pbs. Org or follow us on twitter. This earmarks the 150th anniversary of the manspation proclamation. You can see bill and Hillary Clinton on the podium. There are also people there celebrating the election of the first africanamerican president. President obama is only the 16th sitting chief executive to be returned to office. He is the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to win two consecutive elections with more than 51 of the popular vote. He won for the 372 electoral votes to mitt romneys 206 and spent part of the morning at the white house having coffee with bipartisan leadership. This is the second time the president had his inauguration on the celebration of Martin Luther king, jr. And its actually a ceremonial event. The 20th amendment to the constitution mandates that newly elected mandates take place on january 20th and several times that happened on the sunday. And followed by the pomp and pageantry on the following monday. Both president obama and Vice President biden took their official oaths of office why yesterday. I Barack Hussein obama swear Supreme CourtJustice John Roberts swore in the first family. Justice sotomayor did the honor at the Vice President s residence at the United States naval observe tore in washington. And both families attended a Church Service at the Episcopal Church directly opposite the white house. Moments ago the limousine carrying the obamas and the bidens arrived at the capital after the 12 block trip up pennsylvania avenue from the white house. Joining us, our news hour regular column younist mark shields and new york sometimes columnist mark brooks. Big day, gwen. It is a big day. It lacks the inherent drama and expense of the new first inaugural. This is important. I think its a defining moment for the second inaugural, the president at the top of his popularity over the past three years and this is a chance to lay out what he wants to do, i think, in broad terms and specifically of course in the the state of the union. What do you say about the second inaugural . Its a ritual. Theres a lot of celebrities in the crowd. I learned he join us Franklin Roosevelt as the only president to take the oath four times. He did it over two terms though. Do you want to explain that . Well he did it twice the first time because of roberts and then he did it twice this time because of sunday. Yesterday, roberts read from a piece of paper when he administered the formal oath. Its experience. You learn from experience. Today it will be how obama tackles the speech. In the past it has been a volley and government. The democrats typically say, well, government can do this or cant do that ask so its really a series of arguments over the role of government and the second thing im curious to know about is how tough they were in a pretty partisan atmosphere. He has gotten tougher over the past couple of years with the opposition. How feist you he is he during the speech. Things people have picked up in this run up to this inauguration is that the president four years ago in his speech came tout and he actually made a comment about how he was going to to bring an end to the petty grievances and false promises in washington. Now four years later was that a false promise . Yes. I mean, the president , i think, understandably confident and an historic election and all of that perhaps overstated what could be done. This is one place where he seen having come fiercely short and its in bringing that sense to washington of bipartisanship and of working together and overcoming partisanship and his defenders and supporters will say oh, the republicans have been intransient and small minded and all of that but the reality is washington is a more polarized place than when he took the oath four years ago. You say youre looking to see how tough he is. Are you looking for specifics as in here is what i want to do the next four years or more tone. Its more tone. The president s dont get in specifics. They say where we are as a country and fowsh years ago he talked about the crises we were facing and then he hit the themes, the historical themes of sacrifice for country, party unity. For obama the key theme is justice. If you go back to his major speeches, he tends to talk about a bargain between the American People and the government that if you play by the rules you will see the benefits and government has to be there to give you the benefits if you play by the rules. Were looking at the mall where everyone is happy and waving and one thing i have to say after having been on the mall four years ago, it was really cold. And you want to say how warm you are today, right . Im very warm in the presence of my dear friends but also curious how different a second inauguration feels. I think it is. Its still to be celebrated and the reelection of president obama means that the first one wasnt a fluke and thats important. And i think its especially i think its especially important for africanamericans that he has been reelected and it puts in the serious ranks of chief executive and i agree with david this is a broadbrush time. I doubt there will be a sound of trumpets but i think we will see the theme of what he wants the Second Amendment to be about. We just saw the sons of Vice President biden walk in and theyre carrying the bibles which will swear in their father. Were also joined by three historians today, news hour regular george smith of George Mason University and george reed of harvard and beverly of yale university. Beverly there are a lot of connections to today, Martin Luther king, civil war, all kinds of things. It is a great day of anniversaries so it is Martin Luther king day as we know and also the 50th anniversary of kings speech in washington on this same site. We are looking at the sesquicentennial of the civil war and also of the emancipation proclamation and the 100th anniversary there and its a day with historical significance and i think luckily these are the kinds of moments that barack obama tends to shine. George washington gave the shortest speech ever, four sentences, 135 words or Something Like that. What are we expecting today . We dont expect history to repeat itself. George washington at that point was rather p. O. Ed at his treatment in the media of the day. George washington, his private secretary said no sound on earth could compete with that of George Washington swearing a blue streak. Short of that, he didnt want to run for a second term anyway so he gave his very short, very odd, almost dare to congress. We are watching the first daughters and i guess the first motherinlaw walk through the marion robertson, ma leaand sasha obama. Ma leais 14 and sasha is 11. They are dressed head to toe in jay crew. Thank you for the fashion. I will be keeping up with the fashion all day. What do you look to in the past when you look at a second inaugural . I think its another affirmation of the american system, have people out on the mall, see the president and the transfer of power and thats the glory of american system and thats what George Washington brought, the first person to give up power, no one thought he was going to do it. Even though its a ceremony but its a ceremony that is it brings lot to our country and to our nation. Is it one of those ceremonies, do you agree with beverly and richard that the second time in many respects, speaks more to what peoples expectations are of their president than the first time. Theres been an affirmation of what braun did by a majority of American People. And it turns out, a bigger majority than people thought. Many people thought he wasnt going to win at all so this is, i think, have he very important. Theres not a same sense of excitement but it is much more important. We just saw bill russell on the screen and i have to use my boston sports record when i see someone like that. I do fashion, he does the other thing, talking about a second inaugural, Everybody Knows the president now. So beverly, how can he differ or how can he be more inspirational . How does he speak to on audience that now knows him . Unfortunately the track record on this front is not great in the 20th century. Obama has been having dinners with historians. I dont think any of us having dinner with the long historians over the past few weeks, to look back both at second inaugurals and second term and they have been succeeded on eisenhower because eisenhower is really the only president in the 20th century to have what people would argue is a better second term than his first term. In terms of the speech itself, i think its right that were looking at a question of tone. Were looking at kind of how far obama is going to go in terms of the part san question, and its really a speech that you make for history as much as for all of those happy people on the mall. I have to say, as we look at the platform there, thats quite an elaborate construction by the way, just in case youre wondering. Its 10,000 square feet. Ta takes three months to build and they have to do it every four years so we in washington have been able to watch all of this construction going on. I saw on our went you have an interview with the architect who said this is the only thing he is thinking about during the entire what can go wrong. Were thinking about pomp and history and circumstance and he is thinking what happens if the lights go out. Now we look at the second lady of the United States, dr. Jill biden on her way to the podium as well. Richard, what do you think about the second speeches as opposed to the first, speaking to an audience that knows you already. The greatest inaugural address in history is the second inaugural address which is lincoln which some people say surpasses the gettysburg address. Its the best lay sermon no history. And dr. Jill bide ep is accompanied by honey alexander, the wife of senator Lamar Alexander. And by debby boehner, wife of House Speaker john boehner. Sorry to interrupt you there. More recently, you may disagree with the content and the tone but no one will dispute the fact that george w. Bush was aiming for the bleachers with his second inaugural with what he called his freedom speech which is in terms of projecting american force, moral and military around the world in the wake of 9 11 and the doctrine of preemptive military action. You knows the reference to lincoln, we talk about being in a divided america now. In many ways we are politically. But you think about lincoln and that inauguration, both of his, it was a different level. Different level all together. He is involved in the conflict where half a Million People would be killed, the end of channeled slavery. A lot is at stake. Were fighting now but not anywhere like that, thank god. Were about to see the introduction of the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. As you watched her grow in this role the last four years, what do you think . Well she has done she is a, the most popular person in america just about. She has firmed up the sense of this family as a very responsible family that people can relate to, which was not always going to be obvious. So i think she has had that important role. She has not had the role Hillary Clinton had of getting involved in public policy. And i wouldnt be surprised and this is something she is capable of doing so i wouldnt be surprised over the second term if she drifts more in into that role. More publicly, i think she has had a significant role behind the scenes. Jill biden has just been introduced to the crowd and taken her place. Mark . I think its remarkable, when she started in the campaign in 2008, where the remark about, ive never been more proud of my country, she was attacked and became a political listening rod, and its been a very conscious, concentrated and effective effort to bring her back to the point where she is a figure of towering popularity and influence in the country. I agree with david that the family, if anything, seems central to their reality. I mean theres no question about it. And so i think, in that sense, the one thing that surprises me, she has not taken on an issue that one would call at all controversial, and i would be interested if she does that the second term, maybe not to the drag of Hillary Clinton, but something maybe moving on in the military families. As youre talking about Michelle Obama were watching her about to be introduced as she approaches the top of that of the podium there. She is of course we cant it. Michelle obama is a fashion icon among many other things and she is everybody has been closely watching to see what she would have on. She wering a naviy tom brown coat and dress. Fabric was developed based on a mens silk tie and j. Crew belt and shoes and much discussed new hairstyle. I know silk ties. David, do you want to comment . Mark is so much more up on that subject than i am. Should we stop him . We should stop right there before it gets out of control. Were about to hear the introduction of first lady Michelle Obama. She will be accompanied by the stairs by nancy erikson, the secretary of the senate. Karen hoss, mrs. Iris wine stawn, wife of Chuck Schumer, and the wife of harry reed and mr. Paul pelosi, the husband of House Minority leader nancy pelosi. Announcer ladies and gentlemen, the first lady of the United States, mrs. Michelle obama, accompanied by secretary of the senate nancy erikson, clerk of the house of representatives, karen h0. 0s, mrs. Schubert, mrs. Reed and [cheering] next up were going to see the approach and about to be announced of Vice President , the worlds happiest guy, bill biden. Dont think we have ever seen him except in times of National Crises without that smile on his face. And why not today. Its the effect of joe bidens remarks on this administration. They were an odd couple. He was the hot to Barack Obamas cool. He was the punch line for a lot of latenight monologues. If anything, joe biden has emerged in this administration has a key player and indispensable player in dealing with the congress and the Political Part of politics, the people part of politics which the president does not spend a lot of time, effort, or energy on. Do you agree with that. If you look at the deal with congress, they tried every other relationship, the obama, the reedmcconnell relationship but it was the biden relationship that set it off. He know he how to run a meeting. He runs through them. Thats how you run a meeting. He know he how to do that. Recently the president at a press conference had to say im a friendly guy, im a people guy, but joe biden really is that. Joe biden is. And joe bidens excesses of being a people person and gregarious and enormously approachable, have been very important to this administration and to what david pointed out what happened, particularly in the last couple of months. Briefly, we always here this is the most important Vice President in the history of the world. How does he rank as Vice President s go . He actually just may be this may be one of the rare occasions where the superlative applies. We heard it about dick cheney in a different way. Cheney, you had a sense cheney was in many ways provided the intellectual framework particularly for a lot of bush foreign policy. Vice President Biden used the senate and the relationships there and his practical skills has been invaluable in terms of promoting the agenda. Now we have the marine band about to introduce the Vice President of the United States. Announcer ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President of the United States, joseph r. Biden, accompanied by inaugural coordinator for the joint Congressional Committee on ceremonies, kelly fado. Senate Department Sergeant at arms, martina bradford. House saght at arms carry handley. Harry reed and nancy pelosi. I said that was the marine band. It was the u. S. Army herald trumpets. Have to get that right. What were you saying mark . Joe, joe, joe . I think this concerns what we were talking about. Our first glimpse of the president as he walks through the hall, accompanied as you can see behind by Chuck Schumer head of the joint committee and next to him, Lamar Alexander of the bipartisanship on display and behind him the leadership of the house and the senate. It is a ceremony whereby patternship is on display. Its university of the few. Some of the cummings are a little chillier than others. Beverly, you were shaking your head. When you go back and lo