By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – Riley's swearing-in ceremony occurred on the Martin Luther King Junior holiday, and it took place a few feet from where King ended the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march in 1965. Riley also stood a few feet from where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederacy in 1861. Riley encouraged Alabamians to draw strength from their history, but not be limited by it. He called Alabama's history our foundation, but not our ceiling. The inauguration had a touch of presidential politics. Retired General Wesley Clark swore in Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks for a second term. And Arizona Senator John McCain attended as guest of Riley and Attorney General Troy King.