The inauguration of United States President Barack Obama dominated the front pages of the Italian press on Wednesday with many dailies using quotes from his inaugural address in their lead headlines.
OBAMA: AN ERA OF RESPONSIBILITY, headlined Milan's Corriere della Sera which added beneath its banner: An immense crowd at the swearing-in ceremony. ''A hand extended to Islam but a battle against terror''.
In its editorial, Corriere observed that ''over the past weeks Obama's rhetoric of hope has turned into an appeal to the courage of Americans, their capacity to buckle down and pull out of difficult situations. On the day of his inauguration, America's first black president completed his oratorical circle and brought the nation from the joyful days of hope to a new era of responsibility''.
The inauguration, Corriere added, ''was a celebration with little to celebrate about. Perhaps this was the reason why it did not end with a massive display of fireworks. The good news, for America, is that Obama is probably the right man to deal with these very difficult times. More than a commander-in-chief he is going to have to be a persuader-in-chief''.
OBAMA'S CHANCE, headlined La Stampa of Turin which highlighted the new president's statement that ''A new era has begun, we are ready to lead again''.
The editorial in La Stampa observed that ''When a person firmly believes in the common good, without buckling to special interests, they can put back into motion that which had appeared to be at a standstill, in society and in its leadership''.
''Obama has brought an end to this stagnation. He won proposing hope, which unexpectedly rose just as optimism was disappearing and, as the new president himself said, heading towards a difficult, deep winter. Perhaps the moment is here for Obama,'' La Stampa added.
''IT'S THE ERA OF RESPONSIBILITY'' headlined La Repubblica of Rome which above its banner quoted the new president who said ''the world has changed, 60 years ago someone like me would not have been able to enter some restaurants''.
The daily's editorial led by completing the quote, ''and today such a person is taking the oath for the nation's highest office,'' and added ''these words sum up, without rhetoric or arrogance, the enormity of what we all witnessed in Washington yesterday (Tuesday), a day which sought to reconcile a divided America, torn apart by eight years of ideological warfare and a military war, by (in Obama's words) ''false dogmas and false promises''.
According to La Repubblica, Obama's inaugural address ''demonstrated, under the guise of oratorical elegance, the claws of a deep cultural and political change''.
Rome's Il Messaggerro wrote that ''with Obama confidence and hope have returned to the White House. The enthusiasm is great and expectations are high, perhaps too high for some. The US is not a hyper-power capable of resolving all the world's problems. Yet it remains indispensable for the most serious ones''.
''Obama's attention must now be focused on the economy. If it was his choice he might like to postpone foreign policy questions to better times. But this is not possible. The international situation he inherited will not allow him to,'' the Rome daily added.
