A student body celebrates

Hundreds of students gathered in the Graduate@Cholo and the Rootes Social Bar on Tuesday to watch the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.

The event was the culmination of one of the longest and most expensive Presidential elections in American history. Up to two million people gathered in Washington, and billions watched the event worldwide.

The Union fell silent as Obama took the Oath using Abraham Lincoln’s Bible, but erupted in loud cheers as soon as he had finished.

Stuart ‘Tommo’ Thomson, Student Union President described the Graduate as a “fantastic place” to be to witness the event, and described Obama as “the epitome of our modern multicultural, transnational world”.

“Bush will surely go down as one of the most disappointing presidents in recent history”, he said. “Obama brings hope, optimism and a much needed image change for the U.S.A.”

In his inaugural address, Obama reached out to the world, saying that America was a “friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity”.

He also offered the prospect of renewed diplomacy, saying that his administration will “extend a hand” to those that are willing.

Joseph O’Leary, a first year PPE student praised Obama, saying that the speech had “addressed the world’s concerns. Obama had been ‘respectful’ rather than demeaning”.

Jon Parr, a first year Politics student, described the speech as “realistic” and “down to earth”, but “vacuous”. It was a typical Obama speech, he said, that was well delivered but “lacked detail”.

The Politics Society and Warwick Labour organised the event in the Graduate, whilst Warwick Liberal Democrats ran the corresponding event in Rootes Social.

Obama’s inauguration marks the end of an American election campaign that ignited political passion on campus since it began a year ago.