Obama broke sharply from the past in his inaugural speech: 'Washington Post'

A Washington Post editorial has said that president Obama made history yesterday by signaling that his presidency will bring even more widespread changes to a nation confronted by problems of historic significance.

According to the paper, Obama's somber address -- and exhortation to the country to pull together -- fit the times in which they were delivered.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met," the editorial quoted Obama, as saying.

“It was to both uncertainty and optimism that Obama directed his words from the Capitol's West Front to a sea of faces along the Mall and to street corners, churches and living rooms throughout the country.

The new president did not hesitate to highlight their differences. Obama spoke of a change of course in the Iraq war and of the false choice "between our safety and our ideals." Those last words were aimed at the previous administration's positions on civil liberties and harsh interrogation techniques, says the paper.

The confluence of events and Obama's politics suggest that his presidency could bring a more momentous shift -- from an era of conservative governance to one in which Washington assumes a more central role in the life of the country, the paper concludes.