On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama was inaugurated following his successful campaign in the 2008 presidential election. Delivering his inaugural address in Washington, DC, shortly after taking the oath of office as the 44th US president, Obama insisted that his administration would pursue US national interests without sacrificing basic legal principles enshrined in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. During the campaign, Obama pledged to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and opposing many of the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Since taking office, Obama has signed several major pieces of legislation, including health care and financial reform and the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," and has appointed two justices to the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.



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