Barack: Let's get U.S. back on track

On a roller ... Barack Obama helps out at a shelter for Martin Luther King Day

BARACK Obama will today call on every American to do their bit to get the country “back on track”.
Mr Obama is set to give the speech of his life when he makes history by being sworn in as the first black President of the United States.
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And he will echo the famous 1960 inauguration address by John F Kennedy, who told Americans: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Mr Obama will ask citizens to reject the “culture of anything goes” and instead demand a culture of individual responsibility to help lift the nation out of crisis.
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Yesterday the incoming President warned there must be no “idle hands” and “everybody must act” to tackle the challenges.
He spent Martin Luther King Day — a national holiday in honour of the murdered civil rights leader — visiting wounded troops and an emergency shelter for homeless teens.
Mr Obama, 47 — casually dressed in jeans and shirt — grabbed a roller to help paint the shelter’s walls.
He said: “It’s not a day just to pause and reflect — it’s a day to act.
“I ask the American people to turn today’s efforts into an ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of others.

Supporter ... star Ben Affleck
“We can’t allow any idle hands. Everybody’s got to be involved.
“I think the American people are ready to do that.”
Historic
Writing in the Washington Times, Mr Obama evoked the words of both Dr King and Thomas Jefferson, the third US President.
He wrote: “Let us unite with one heart and one mind. Our nation is at war. Our economy is in turmoil.
“And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is the same perseverance and idealism that our Founders displayed.

Practice ... stand-ins at inauguration rehearsal
“What is also required is that we break free from rigid ideology and small thinking, and together grab hold of this opportunity to bridge partisan divides and deliver change for the American people.
“The challenges demand that we move beyond the old debates and stale arguments.
“We must focus not on the dogmas of left and right, but on practical answers to the difficult problems.”
Click on the numbers above to read about the key events of Mr Obama's big day.
He added: “As we go forward in the work of renewing the promise of this nation, let’s remember King’s lesson — that our separate dreams are really one.”
Millions of people all over the world will tune in to watch the inauguration on TV.
Mr Obama is renowned as a brilliant orator, but even he admitted he is under pressure — from his own daughter.
Sasha, seven, asked him if he would be giving a speech like Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address — then added: “First African-American president — it better be good.”