for presidents on inauguration day. joining me now in our cbs coverage is bob schieffer, our chief washington correspondent and anchor of face the nation. bob, what are you expecting to see? well, it s going to be an important day for the nation, but i must say, you know, the fiscal cliff negotiations, the slaughter of those children in connecticut made it difficult for washington to be festive this time around. it s also a very unusual atmosphere because of this gridlock. i mean, you re not hearing people talk about hope and renewal this time around, but is the government broken? the whole system. and what can we do to fix it? people want washington and its politicians to work together. the politicians as yet have not been a i believe to figure out how to do that. but, you know, inaugural speeches can sometimes change the mood. you heard fdr, the only thing we have to fear. i remember when gerald ford said our long national nightmare is over. jack kennedy, ask not what
moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. brown: washington and the nation were witness again today to the quadrennial pomp and color of a presidential inauguration. it marked the public start to the second obama administration, and it featured presidential appeals to extend prosperity and full freedoms to all americans. as the sun rose over the nation s capital on this monday hundreds of thousands of people began descending on the national mall to witness the occasion. officials estimated 500-700,000 attendees. that was far fewer than four years ago when nearly two million tu
and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. brown: washington and the nation were witness again today to the quadrennial pomp and color of a presidential inauguration. it marked the public start to the second obama administration, and it featured presidential appeals to extend prosperity and full freedoms to all americans. as the sun rose over the nation s capital on this monday hundreds of thousands of people began descending on the national mall to witness the occasion. officials estimated 500-700,000 attendees. that was far fewer than four years ago when nearly two million turned out. but today s crowd gave no hint of diminished enthusiasm for
coming up, as president obama second inauguration approaches, religious voices on the mood of the country and the outlook for the next four years. and bob faw reports on the shameful history of lynching in america, and african americans who found ways to forgive. major funding for religion and ethics news weekly provided by the indianapolis based family foundation dedicated to religion, community development and education. additional funding also provided by mutual of america, designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that s why we re your retirement company. the jane henson foundation. and the corporation for public broadcasting. welcome, i m bob abernethy. it s good to have you with us. final preparations are underway in washington, d.c., for the second inauguration of barack obama, taking place on monday, martin luther king, jr. day. the benediction will now be given by the reverend luis leon of st. john s episcopal church, where the obamas
captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions my fellow americans, we are made for this moment and we will seize it so long as we seize it together. ifill: president obama called for unity and equality in his second inaugural address, delivered today on the west front of the capitol. good evening. i m gwen ifill. brown: and i m jeffrey brown. we devote tonight s newshour to the 57th inauguration. with full coverage of the pageantry, the ceremonial swearing-in, the speech, the parade, and more. ifill: ray suarez reports on the sights and sounds from the nation s mall, where hundreds of thousands of people from around the country and the world gathered to witness today s events. we don t think we ll have one like this president in my lifetime. we re just delighted to be a part of this. brown: mark shields and david brooks offernalysis. ifill: on this day that coincides with the martin luther king, jr., holiday, we get perspective from presidential historians