Obama speaks of ‘crisis’ facing nation

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he’s taking the helm of a nation that is “in the midst of crisis.“

In his inaugural address, he said the “challenges we face are real,“ and “will not be met easily or in a short span of time”—but he says, “they will be met.“
   
Obama spoke of the nation’s war against what he called “a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.“ And he also talked of a “badly weakened” economy that he says is the result of “greed and irresponsibility” by some.
   
Obama said evidence of the crisis also appears in costly health care and in failing schools. And he said the nation uses energy in a way that helps its adversaries, and threatens the planet.