Obama praises Bush for smooth transition

Barack Obama, in his last address to the nation as
president-elect, on Saturday lauded the Bush administration for facilitating
the transfer of power.

“Throughout the current transition, President Bush and
his administration have extended the hand of cooperation, and provided
invaluable assistance to my team as we prepare to hit the ground running on
January 20th,” Obama stated.

{mosads}The incoming president said that the peaceful transfer of
power “goes to the heart of the greatness of our nation” and that it proves “that
what we hold in common as Americans far outweighs our political differences.”

Obama reminded the nation that billions of people in the
world do not experience the transfer of power from one democratically elected
administration to another.

He portrayed his swearing in as a “new beginning” that
all Americans can be part of and touted his inauguration as the “most open and
accessible…in history.”

However, Obama also noted the intricacy of the challenges
the country will face in his administration.

“Difficult days are upon us, and even more difficult days
lie ahead. Our nation is at war. Our economy is in great turmoil. And there is
so much work that must be done to restore peace and advance prosperity,” Obama
said. “But as we approach this time-honored American tradition, we are reminded
that our challenges can be met if we summon the spirit that has sustained our
democracy since George Washington took the first oath of office.”