Barack Obama, Barack Obama's Inauguration | featured news

When President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, it will arguably be the biggest live social-networking event ever ...

If the unthinkable happens on Inauguration Day, Robert Gates, the defense secretary, will be available to assume the reigns of government.

If I wanted Obama to succeed, I'd be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work.

Fresh off a rollicking celebration in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln, President-elect Barack Obama is shaping the final day of his pre-presidential life around another giant figure, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

With nation set to inaugurate its first African American president, many still perceive racism in local communities.

It was a day that combined high-minded political rhetoric with the very best of pop culture. Tens of thousands of citizens, a throng more than a mile long on the National Mall, braved frigid weather and long security lines to attend a historic concert celebrating the country's first black president -- held at the feet of the monument honoring the country's great emancipator, Abraham Lincoln.

Before taking off on his train to Washington, DC President-elect Obama spoke at a rally in Philadelphia. Here is his message...

It will take more than pomp and circumstance to welcome President Obama to Washington, D.C.

Three networks pay millions for exclusive access to swearing-in events, raising fairness concerns.

The online posting was just like the thousands of others advertising Washington-area homes for rent during next week's Inauguration: "Why stay in a hotel when you could stay in a luxury condo? ... Enjoy the ceremony and the crowds, then escape back to your own private getaway."