Texas Inaugurama

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was sworn-in Tuesday for an unprecedented third full term, proclaiming the state "a beacon of opportunity" and predicting that historians will look back on this time as the "Texas century." The governor and lieutenant governor gave speeches focusing on a favorite target, Washington, before hosting a barbecue lunch on the grounds of the Texas Capitol.

As lawmakers face down a budget crisis, Perry reiterated a promise to make up the double-digit shortfall with cuts and not new taxes. "The frail, the young, the elderly on fixed incomes, those in situations of abuse and neglect, people whose needs are greater than the resources at their disposal — they can count on the people of Texas to be there for them," Perry said. "We will support them and empower them, but cannot risk the future of millions of taxpayers in the process. We must cut spending to keep our economic engine on track."

Perry spoke as a propeller plane with a banner advertisement for Spark Energy buzzed overhead. The company later apologized for the distraction, which nearly drowned out several minutes of the governor's remarks. Look back with our liveblog from the swearing-in ceremony, or watch the full video of Perry's speech.

Full text: Perry's speech

Full text: Dewhurst's speech

We've also created a slideshow of photos from the day, taken by TT photographers Marjorie Kamys Cotera and Bob Daemmrich.