WASHINGTON - On the brink of a second term in turbulent times, George W. Bush begins Chapter Two of his presidency with a call "from beyond the stars" to stand steadfastly for the cause of freedom around the world.
The nation faces unsettling threats from terrorists and anxiety about the steady uptick of U.S. deaths in Iraq (news - web sites). There are worries about Social Security (news - web sites)'s future and stress over the pricetag of medical care and a slow job market.
Inaugurations, though, are a time to talk about hope.
"The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands," Bush was telling inauguration watchers in this country and across the globe. "The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
More than a half million people were gathering in the snowy capital in near-freezing temperatures for the swearing-in at the West Front of the Capitol and the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Snipers were dispatched to rooftops and bomb-sniffing dogs into the streets. Miles of metal barricades gave a fortress-like feel to the city, which is well acquainted with post-Sept. 11 security.
Bush was beginning Inauguration Day at a worship service at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House. At noon, when he places his hand on a family Bible and recites the 35-word oath of office, he was to become the 16th second-term president.
The event was to be witnessed by Bush's father, the former President Bush (news - web sites), and his mother, Barbara Bush, along with a host of distinguished guests that included former presidents Carter and Clinton and their wives.
Bush summed up his inaugural message with one word: "Freedom."
"This is a cause that unites our country and gives hope to the world," he said Wednesday evening just before red, white, blue and gold fireworks showered the dark sky over the National Mall.
Then, reaching to his religious faith, Bush continued: "We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom, and America will always be faithful to that cause."
Inauguration is a time of unity for our country, the president said.
"With the campaign behind us, Americans lift up our sights to the years ahead and to the great goals we will achieve for our country. I am eager and ready for the work ahead."
Bush, 58, begins his new term with the lowest approval rating at that point of any recent two-term president 49 percent in an Associated Press poll this month. Iraq is the dominant concern of Americans, and Bush is the first U.S. president to be inaugurated in wartime since Richard Nixon in 1973.
Bush's inaugural address had gone through 21 drafts as of Wednesday afternoon and was timed at 17 minutes. The address was designed to be inspirational, leaving new initiatives to be spelled out in the president's State of the Union speech on Feb. 2.
On the eve of his inauguration, Bush and first lady Laura Bush dashed around the city from one party to another. Some revelers partied into the night, but Bush, never a fan of formal affairs, was back at the White House about 45 minutes ahead of schedule.
Not everybody was cheering four more years of Bush.
He was the first president since 1936 to be re-elected while his party expanded majorities in the House and Senate, yet deep divisions in the nation remain. Bush's 3 percentage point margin in the popular vote was the lowest of any incumbent president to win re-election.
Some anti-Bushites took vacations to get away from the inaugural hoopla while others flocked to Washington to give the president a symbolic snub. They planned to turn their backs on the president as his motorcade rolls down Pennsylvania Avenue.
"There are a lot of different reasons why people are participating in this action," said Jet Heiko, national organizer for the volunteer group that calls itself Turn Your Back on Bush. "Mostly it's a lot of people who feel that George Bush (news - web sites) has turned his back on them for a variety of reasons Iraq, health care, Social Security, educational reform issues."
Bush has said his second-term priorities include thwarting terrorist cells, spreading freedom and democracy especially in the Middle East enacting changes in the tax code and in medical liability law, and overhauling Social Security with private investment accounts. Throughout his re-election campaign, Bush promoted what he called an "ownership society" in which Americans have greater control over their lives.
The inauguration, a ritual performed every four years for more than 200 years, comes at a time Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) describes as one of "great consequence" for our nation.
"Since 2001, America has lived with adversity and sometimes with sorrow, and often with uncertainty, yet we have refused to live in fear or be intimidated by the task before us," Cheney said, introducing the president at an outdoor event at the Ellipse amid a week of presidential pageantry.
Thursday night the president will be the star at the black-tie Commander in Chief ball, one of scores of parties to celebrate the president's next term.
