that i will faithfully, impartially discharge the duties incumbent upon me as attorney general of the commonwealth of virginia to the best of my ability, so help me god. congratulations. [applause] >> the oath of office will now be administered to the lieutenant governor elect by the honorable glenn a tyler, retired judge of the second judicial circuit of virginia. [applause]

>> are you prepared to take the oath? >> yes, sir, i am. >> would you raise your right hand, placed your a 10 on the bible, help -- held by your wife's hand, acquired by the virginia military economy, and repeat after me -- i, ralph s northam, do solemnly swear that i will uphold the constitution of the united states of america and the constitution of the commonwealth of virginia and that i will faithfully and impartially discharge all of the duties incumbent upon me as lieutenant governor of the commonwealth of virginia according to the best of my ability, so help me god.

congratulations. [applause] >> the oath of office will now be administered to the governor elect, the honorable terence r mcauliffe. [applause] by the honorable cynthia kinzer, chief justice of the supreme court of virginia. [applause]

>> are you ready to take the oath of office? >> i am. >> raise your right hand and place your left hand on the bible and repeat after me. i, terence r mcauliffe, do solemnly swear that i will support the constitution of the united states and the constitution of the commonwealth of virginia, and that i will faithfully and impartially discharge all the duties incumbent upon me as the governor of the commonwealth of virginia according to the best of my ability, so help me god. [cheers and applause]

♪ [applause]

>> i have the honor -- [cheers and applause] i have the honor to present to the sovereign people of virginia the new governor of the commonwealth, his excellency, terence r mcauliffe -- terence [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you.

mr. speaker, lieutenant governor, attorney general, members of the general assembly, justices of the supreme court, guests from across our commonwealth and nation, my fellow virginians, it is humbling and the highest honor of my life to stand before you today. it is humbling because of the responsibility you have given me and because of the history and tradition of where we stand. while makeshift, the virginia state capitol first came to richmond in 1780 at the urging of thomas jefferson during the height of the american revolution. through the courage and sacrifice of so many who came before us, our commonwealth survived the revolution. freedom was born. tyranny was defeated, and a permanent capital was

constructed here in richmond. this capital, where i stand today, reminds us not only of the are ability of virginia, but of what virginia overcame -- not only of the durability of virginia, but of what virginia overcame. we overcame the evils of slavery, civil war, and segregation. now, what is 200 years later, virginia has grown even stronger. [applause] relative to the nation, we have emerged from the great recession with an economy more resilient than many of our sister states. we are a stronger commonwealth because of our leaders wisely investing in superior public schools. we are one of the best states to do business because we have worked together to minimize regulation and to keep taxes low.

there is bipartisan consensus in richmond that higher education drive long-term innovative growth. and virginia is the national model for fiscal discipline. because our leaders decided long ago to put the common good ahead of short-term politics. [cheers and applause] that is the virginia way. it is a tradition that we should be so proud of, but it is also a tradition that must be sustained through constant work by leaders who choose progress over ideology. common ground does not move towards us. we move toward it. [cheers and applause] on behalf of all virginians, i want to thank governor bob mcdonnell for his leadership during the last four years. [cheers and applause]

governor mcdonnell provided for the smoothest transition imaginable, and i am so grateful to him for that. he and the lieutenant governor will long be remembered for their leadership on transportation, not just for the policy accomplishments, but for the manner in which it was achieved. it was an approach that built consensus worthy of the virginia way. it is the same approach taken by governor warner to save our aaa bond rating while investing in education, and by governor cain who prudently guided our commonwealth through the recession, but as we celebrate our past, the truth is that we still face serious economic headwinds over the course of the next four years, and, like four years ago, the skeptics are predicting divided government,

driven to gridlock bipartisanship. together, we will prove them wrong again. [cheers and applause] and, virginians, the spirit of service is built into the fabric of our community. we are home to so many of the founders who sacrificed their lives to build a nation based on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and now, today, virginia is home to so many who serve to protect those everlasting rights. join me in recognizing them and their families.

[cheers and applause] i remember growing up hearing stories of sacrifice from my father, who served in world war ii. these are the same stories that virginians hear every single night from their parents and grandparents and from brothers and sisters returning home now. we will honor their sacrifice by ensuring that they have access to the education and health care and career opportunities that they deserve. [cheers and applause] our servicemen and women have the technical training our innovative industry demands, and they embody that strong sense of teamwork, leadership, and drive that makes them valuable asset to our workforce. that is why we need to make it easier for them to get good jobs when they come back home from serving abroad. our community colleges have and will continue to play a major part in this effort. they are our workforce development engine, and over the past year, i am proud to say, i visited each and every community

college in the commonwealth of virginia. [cheers and applause] they are preparing our students for the jobs available today and equipping them with the knowledge and skills the emerging industries of tomorrow. with a community college within 30 miles of every single virginia and -- virginian, they are key to attracting and keeping the future industries across the commonwealth, but in order to do that, we must work and achieve adequate funding. [cheers and applause] we must also recognize that virginians expect transparency, and we need to make sure that the decisions we are making, we avoid any improper context, and

that's why i will sign an executive order later today imposing a strict limit on gifts on myself and the members of my administration. [cheers and applause] i commend the members of the general assembly from both parties who are making significant steps toward this issue, and i will ask the entire general a simile to enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all virginia elected officials to the highest of standards -- i will ask the entire general assembly. while there is fierce debate on health care and washington, d.c., the choice we face here in virginia is simple -- like the majority of other states, we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage and spur economic growth and job creation.

[cheers and applause] with a stronger health care system in virginia as our objective, i will work with the legislature to build on the medicaid reforms that the general assembly has already achieved and to put virginia's on tax dollars to work, keeping families healthy and creating jobs here in the commonwealth. [cheers and applause] finally, the great policy challenge we face is diversifying virginia's economy in the face of inevitable federal spending cuts. mr. speaker and members of the general assembly, as we begin this new term together, know that my top priority will be to lay the groundwork for a diverse and growing economy in every single region of the commonwealth.

and i know it is your top priority as well. over the last four years, i have traveled every corner of the commonwealth, and i have met hard-working virginians who are struggling to provide for their families, unable to access to quality education and training that they need to get good paying jobs. they are even worried about just providing healthy meals for their children. when you think about those virginians, you realize that the decisions we make over the next four years will determine whether parents who work hard their entire life will be able to retire with some security, whether those who return home from serving abroad can find

work or start their own businesses, or whether children in rural virginia can live, work, and thrive in the community where they were born [cheers and applause] and the legislature and my administration will work to nurture our economy, and we need to remember that our sense of urgency is written by those in virginia who struggle each and every day just to get by and whose dream is simple -- to give their children the opportunities that they may never have had. my administration will work tirelessly to ensure that those opportunities are equal for all virginia's children, no matter if you are a girl or a boy, no matter what part of the commonwealth you live in, no

matter your race or your religion, and no matter who you love. [cheers and applause] there is still work to do. we must work to ensure that the children of new immigrants in virginia have equal educational opportunities. we need to ensure that someone cannot lose their jobs simply because they are gay. and we need to ensure that every woman has the right to make her own personal health care choices. [cheers and applause] an open and welcoming state is critical in a 21st-century economy, but it is also an imperative for justice and fairness, values i learned from jack and millie mcauliffe. my brothers and i were often

reminded of the struggles of the less fortunate and our obligation to do something about it. it is that same message that has guided dorothy and me as we have raised our five children in fairfax county over the last 21 years, and as our children have grown, they have constantly impressed us with their dedication to service and improving the lives of others. it is those values that shaped me as a person and drove my decision to run for governor. [cheers and applause] in four years, we will gather again here at jefferson capital to welcome the next governor of the commonwealth. when she or he takes office they will begin to lead a

commonwealth with broad economic opportunities. a commonwealth that has expanded our bandages in education -- our advantages in higher education. commonwealthd a that has a reputation for strong fiscal management. they will lead a commonwealth that strives to keep all of its families healthy. they will lead a commonwealth that never stand still on the road to greater equality for all of our people. they will lead a commonwealth that had delivered those results in a manner worthy of the virginia way. the impediments to consensus are well-known. personal, political ambitions. partisanship and score settling.

identifying the roadblocks is not a challenge. what is hard is having the humility to admit that each of us has allowed these impediments to influence our decisions. challenging is having the foresight to put them aside for the greater good. night, then election test of my commitment to finding common ground in virginia will not be a speech at an inauguration. it will be my actions in office. i expect that those who did not support me in november will hold me to my word. no one who has served as an elected official has looked back and wish that they had been more ideological, or more partisan. long after giving up elected office, describing himself as "near the end of my voyage,"

thomas jefferson wrote for monticello that a government gathers demands from reason only. they rely on a compromise of opinion. speaker, delegates and senators, these next four years will be our moment to again show americans what can be accomplished by mainstream leaders and to show virginians that we will live up to their expectations of consensus trip and progress -- consensus-driven progress. [applause] today, talk of defenses can seem quite, illusory, or even naïve. progressia, political in a divided government is a tradition that we must continue. i will work to live up to that

tradition now that i begin serving my term with humility. i am thankful to the gratitude of all the people of virginia. you, and may god bless the commonwealth of virginia. [applause]

>> please be seated. please welcome members of virginia's 11 indian tribes as they present a blessing dance to honor governor terry mcauliffe and bless the capitol grounds. we would like to foster stronger ties between indigenous people and the commonwealth. all who are able are asked to stand drink the dance. -- during the dance. [drumbeat]t --

[chanting]

>> [drumming and chanting]

[applause]

>> please rise for the benediction. it will be pronounced by a rabbi from a local congregation in alexandria. >> author of liberty, the power that has made and preserved us as a nation, bring down your blessings upon this commonwealth on our new governor as our new

lieutenant governor and on our new attorney general and all who exercise just and rightful authority. on their families to sustain heroes who protect them and protect us. accept our gratitude for those who complete their service on this day. they guard a wellspring of tradition. choresd on the part of of history, aware of our pathving path -- receiving past, disturbed by what we have yet to college in this world, and join us in seeking the promise of our first families and recent arrivals. let our hearts be filled with compassion, our thoughts stage our thoughts--

steeped in wisdom. let our children be nurtured and people of every age and standing on common ground for virginia. who are called by a multitude of names, bring down your blessing on these people who shoulder this burden for us all. us, is in light, sustain unable us to reach such moments as these. amen. greg the senator from arlington. >> the senator from arlington. those who favor the motion, say i? the motion is agreed to.

>> i move that this assembly adjourned. >> please say aye. >> the joint assembly has adjourned. on behalf of the general assembly, i ask each of you tuesday and remain to view the inaugural parade. laser made in your seats. the parade will begin momentarily. the house and the senate may now adjourn. >> former israeli prime minister

ariel sharon died today at the age of 85. during his years as prime minister, he suffered a stroke that left him in a coma for eight years. author of "warrior" an autobiography. he appeared on our book program in 1989. this is one hour. >> you have a book out, why did you write it? >> to reveal the history of the state of israel. it's struggles, happiness, victories, defeats. it was a long story, a long struggle. looking forward, one can emphasize some of the influence

israel should provide over the people of the future. >> one of the most interesting things i learned when i looked through your book is that you were born and raised in israel. how many people that live there today that are involved in government are actually born there? >> generally -- 3.8 million people in israel, i believe it is about maybe 2 million immigrated to israel, and the rest were born there. >> what was it like in those early days? >> i was born on a village on a farm.

my father was an agronomist. he was a zionist born in russia and came to the jewish homeland. my mother came straight from the university, finishing four years of medicine. she thought that she should be able to finish her studies in israel. life was very hard. to describe my youth, i would materialistic point of view, it was poverty. spiritually, it was very rich. the people were educated, having strong zionist ideology. i remember my mom worked very hard, lived a very full life, i

remember my father planning, i remember people coming to participate, used to read poetry, so from this aspect, my life was very rich. i remember my mother working, but they were highly motivated people, work free heart, physical labor was very important not only because you had to work, but it was also an important thing and it was important to work. physical work is important and that was the way i was raised in the village. always surrounded by arabs -- we live together with arabs.