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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

George W. Bush: The Road Ahead

Aired January 20, 2005 - 17:04 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.

ANNOUNCER: Term two begins, the inauguration of President George W. Bush.

Expanding freedom, promises and warnings to the world in the closely watched inaugural speech.

BUSH: All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. America in this young century proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.

ANNOUNCER: A standing ovation for the physically ailing chief justice, administering the oath despite his battle with cancer.

From the Middle East to Europe, international reaction to the second Bush term.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (though translator): Since he became involved in politics, there has only been disaster in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I do believe he's capable of bringing peace.

ANNOUNCER: Only on CNN, the massive task of inaugural security. We'll get an exclusive look inside the FBI command center.

And like father, unlike son. Why George W. Bush succeeded where his father failed, securing a second term. This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead," for Thursday, January 20th, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Pomp, circumstance, pageantry, even some protest, all part of the country's 55th presidential inauguration. Today the marching bands continuing to move down Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the president and the reviewing stands. Welcome to our coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington, where George W. Bush took the oath of office from the chief justice and delivered an inaugural speech full of both promise and warning. We have complete coverage for you this hour, beginning with CNN's Kathleen Koch live along the inaugural parade route -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm here at 4th and Pennsylvania where the pageantry of the inaugural parade has been flowing past since it began around 2:30 today. It's been a very chilly day in Washington, about 30 degrees when President Bush took the oath of office just before noon. It didn't stop folks from turning out, specifically there were some large groups of protesters, but by and large, this has been a day of celebration for President Bush and his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice-over): The Capitol basked in a golden glow as did those gathered for a second time to see George W. Bush sworn in as president.

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: Would you raise your right hand, Mr. President.

KOCH: Chief Justice William Rehnquist in his first public appearance since cancer surgery administered the oath of office.

BUSH: ... do solemnly swear...

KOCH: Also on hand the president's parents, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Bush family members, friends and political foes. In his inaugural speech Mr. Bush used the word "freedom" 27 times when laying out his vision of America's mission.

BUSH: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

KOCH: Iraq and Afghanistan were never mentioned but President Bush made clear his commitment to their future.

BUSH: Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon.

KOCH: The president pledged to heal the divisions between the political parties and made only passing reference to second-term priorities like Social Security reform. Security was unprecedented on this, the first inaugural since 9/11. Mr. Bush described the attack's formative impact on his presidency.

BUSH: My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve and have found it firm.

KOCH: A handful of protesters trying to disrupt the speech managed to get within earshot. Still, the president appeared to clearly enjoy his second inaugural. Inside he reflected on the occasion.

BUSH: It reminds us that we serve a cause larger than ourselves. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us.

KOCH: Then it was off for the traditional parade. There were protesters, but they were outnumbered by supporters. The president and the first lady even briefly left their limousine to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Participation by the U.S. military in the parade today. There's also an inaugural ball for U.S. military members this evening. This all a nod to some of the early concern and criticism that having a lavish $40 million inaugural might be unseemly while the nation was at war -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch, along the parade route, Kathleen, thank you very much. On the right part of the screen we're seeing the parade continue to unfold right outside the White House. Right now the University of Tennessee, Pride of the Southland Marching Band, they're emerging, they're going right past the reviewing stand to the delight of the president and the first lady up in the reviewing stand right there.

CNN's Judy Woodruff is right across the street watching all of this. Let's check in with her -- Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Wolf. I am right across the street from the president's reviewing stand. And we've watched the crowd here patiently wait for the president to get here, after his lunch, of course, his speech and lunch. This is really -- these are all friends and family of the president. We've watched the president and the first lady waving to their friends, very much enjoying the atmosphere, the afternoon, the parade, and at the same time, Wolf, we are reminded because of the heavy security that this is a country very divided over this presidency. He did win by 3.5 million votes, but a lot of people are unhappy about it. We saw the protesters that Kathleen mentioned. What we've seen here is such tight security that only those people who passed an identity test were able to get tickets. These are the choice seats where I'm sitting. So a day of celebration for the Bushes, but very much a reminder of what the first term wrought in terms of support and dissent on the part of the American people -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. Right now in front of the president, the Mercer (ph) County's Sheriff's Posse, representing California in front of the inaugural -- in front of the revueing stand there from the president. Part of the floats, part of the marching bands, part of the celebrations, all 50 states, all branches of the U.S. military, various branches of U.S. law enforcement, all represented during the parade. For many it's a day of celebration, but not necessarily for everyone. CNN's Mary Snow is trying to gauge reaction from across the country and is joining us live from New York.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. You know, from the East Coast to the West Coast, there was reaction to the inauguration. Some protested, others prayed, and for yet others, there was some point in between. In New York City, at the United Nations, staffers stopped to watch President Bush's speech. Elsewhere in New York, the attention was not as focused at Fordham University where the cafeteria drew a bigger crowd. The students who watched were divided on opinions and the issues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest issue to me is terrorism, keeping America safe, and I think his notion that we have to spread democracy and freedom throughout the world is important.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What really showed (ph) me today was things the president omitted in his speech. He didn't place much emphasis on domestic issues. That's huge to our country.

SNOW (voice-over): In Baltimore, the passions were higher, where protesters demonstrated against the president's policies in Iraq. In San Francisco, many were commuting to work while the president was speaking, but for those who watched...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was very impressive speech though. A very large agenda the president has set for himself, though.

SNOW: In New Orleans, hundreds of protesters held a mock jazz funeral to protest what they dubbed the passing of democracy, a second term for President Bush. .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not necessarily disappointed, I'm frightened.

SNOW: Some in Atlanta felt the opposite way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel at this point, no matter how you voted, George Bush is our president for the next four years, and we have to be hopeful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: One thing we heard from the people we spoke with, whether they were supporters or opponents of President Bush is the need for unity.

BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, thanks very much.

For anyone here in Washington watching the inauguration, one aspect very obvious indeed. That would be the extraordinary security for all these events. In a CNN exclusive, our justice correspondent Kelli Arena spent the day over at the FBI command center. Kelli joining us live in the studios. Kelli, pretty remarkable day.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It was, Wolf. Now the FBI as you know is not very visible on the streets, but it is playing a vital role during these inauguration celebrations. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): If anything goes wrong, this high-tech mobile command center would get as close to the incident as possible and serve as the operational center for the FBI. CNN was allowed an exclusive look but the agents inside did not want their faces shown for security reasons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over here are the radio operators for the tactical operations center. They'll be talking to the units we have in the field.

ARENA: Armed with satellite feeds from key locations and an ability to communicate in real time with every law enforcement agency in Washington, it sits at the ready outside the FBI's Washington field office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a large group trying to make an unlawful pass through a checkpoint.

ARENA: Inside that building, at the main command center, agents are monitoring protesters, watching for trouble along the parade route and running down any and all leads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have the capability to take in information literally from around the world. Whether it's FBI, legal attaches posted overseas, CIA officers, department of defense entities, so any information we believe would be relevant to the inauguration and to our coverage of the inauguration and follow-on investigation.

ARENA: The FBI points out it is playing a support role to the lead agency, the Secret Service. For the first time, FBI agents are at pedestrian checkpoints. They're also on the streets surveiling, but the rest of its force remains in the wings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From joint hazmat teams to joint bomb squads, to tactical teams on the parade route...

ARENA: Jim Rice (ph) commands all those units and says there are as many as 1,400 FBI agents and support staff ready to go at a moment's notice. He says so far, it's just another day in the nation's capital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had to deploy our hazmat and our EOD personnel and some of the intelligence personnel throughout the day as we get suspicious package calls and reports of containers of unknown liquids, things like that on the parade ground. All have been cleared without incident.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: One interesting thing to point out, the FBI wasn't only watching their own camera feeds, but the feeds from CNN and other media outlets, they say the more cameras, the better. The command center will remain in operation 24/7 until the official celebrations are safely concluded -- Wolf. BLITZER: Let's hope everything winds up very safe indeed. Kelli Arena, thanks for that exclusive report. Good work.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Coming up, spotlight on the chief justice of the United States, William Rehnquist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want you to know how touched I was that chief justice came to administer the oath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A dramatic moment as the ailing chief justice braves the cold weather and takes center stage. CNN's live coverage continues of the inauguration right after this quick message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Auburn University Marching Band representing the beautiful state of Alabama. They're marching right in front of the president, vice president, first lady, Lynne Cheney. They're marching in front, on Pennsylvania Avenue, moving towards 17th Street, where this parade will end. Welcome back to our continuing coverage.

The inauguration marked the first official public appearance of the Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist since he underwent treatment for thyroid cancer in October, and it was clear the battle is taking a toll on him. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A performance perhaps more anticipated than the president's.

BLITZER: This is a dramatic moment for everyone. The chief justice of the United States suffering from cancer.

TODD: The very last dignitary on the platform, Chief Justice William Rehnquist enters after the president, a special accommodation, according to court sources. I'm watching all this with Bruce Fein, a deputy attorney general under President Reagan. Fein knows Rehnquist, has filed several cases before the court.

BRUCE FEIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: It does indicate that he's certainly suffering from a medical affliction.

TODD: Treated this fall for thyroid cancer, sighted recently in a wheelchair, Rehnquist and this particular moment are the subject of intense speculation. Is he fit for the job? With millions watching every step, Rehnquist needs a cane, but walks robustly into position. Compared to four years ago when he took the podium before the president, swore in both Mr. Bush and Vice President Cheney and stayed for the address, this time he only swears in the president.

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: Would you raise your right hand, Mr. President, and repeat after me?

TODD: Takes 34 seconds from start to finish.

BUSH: So help me God.

REHNQUIST: Congratulations.

TODD: And after shaking the president's hand, heads out, before the address.

(on camera): What does that tell you?

FEIN: That his doctor probably gave him advice he should minimize the exposure to the cold elements, because he's still in a very precarious situation. Now, it was evident to me that he's certainly lucid. He's not senile by any means.

TODD: Fein says Rehnquist's voice, clearly altered by a recent tracheotomy, was more frail.

REHNQUIST: That I will faithfully execute...

TODD: Another prominent attorney, who often argues cases before the court, told me he thought Rehnquist looked better that anybody had reason to expect. I asked Fein if he thinks Rehnquist is able to carry out his duties based on what we saw on the podium.

FEIN: I certainly think he's able to carry out in the sense that he has the cognitive capacity to understand the cases.

TODD: Still, Fein believes Rehnquist will retire in June, at the end of the court's current session, if not sooner, and he believes this could be the crowning point of his storied career. The chief justice certainly has the gratitude of his president.

BUSH: I want you to know how touched I was that chief justice came to administer the oath. That was an incredibly moving part of the ceremony.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Amid the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration is the huge amount of food prepared for the balls and other events, and making sure what the president eats today and every day is safe. Certainly that is a top priority. Our White House correspondent Dana Bash joining us now live with more on that -- Dana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Moore is a caterer, cooked meals for hundreds of guests at inaugural balls. For 10 years as a Navy steward, he prepared food for the president himself, playing a critical role in his personal safety.

STEVE MOORE, FORMER NAVY STEWARD: Secret Service is more physical security, making sure nobody tries to stab the president or something like that. We make sure that he doesn't get poisoned with food or water, or dessert or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Antidote.

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: From what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The poison you just drank.

BASH: After recent drama in the Ukraine, poisoning isn't just "Indiana Jones" fiction. Securing first food is no small job. It's carried out by a team of rarely seen stewards like Moore was, called presidential watch.

MOORE: We never lose control of the food. I mean, we know where it's come from from the moment we see it, until it goes out to the president to eat it. I mean, we keep an eye on the whole chain of events with food.

BASH: When the president eats at a restaurant like D.C.'s Morton's...

BUSH: I'll have my steak medium rare.

BASH: ... stewards are in the kitchen, dressed like chefs to blend in. They'd checked it out days earlier.

(on camera): What about for safety? In terms of -- not just in terms of, you know, in terms of what's in the kitchen, but food safety?

DANIEL FESTA, MORTON'S STEAKHOUSE: They (UNINTELLIGIBLE) food just like the health inspector would, they would check the temperature, make sure the coolers are at the right temperature for the food that's being stored in it. Same thing with the meat up front, make sure it's at the right temperature. Make sure there's no signs of any bacteria or anything that is visible.

BASH (voice-over): Or anything else. The key to presidential food safety? Keep it random. In a large group, it's a mystery which plate he gets, so it's harder to tamper with.

MOORE: Products that have been specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there's something wrong with that. Specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there is something wrong with that.

BASH: Someone tastes the food before he eats it, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never heard that there was a taster. BASH: Former Bush aide Brad Blakeman, like others we talk to, claim testers are a myth. Albeit one they want bad guys believing, but just in case security measures ever failed...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do take samples of the food in case there was a problem, we would know exactly where it emanated from.

BASH: The safest venue for presidential chowing? Ironically, food his watch team never checked at surprise stops. It's harder to poison him if he just shows up.

Dig in, Mr. President.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And, Wolf, the president will attend nine inaugural balls tonight. Even if he doesn't eat, if he takes a sip of water, you can guarantee those stealth Navy stewards are going to know exactly where it came from and know that it's safe -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Dana, that was very interesting. Having myself covered the White House for many years, I did not know a lot of that information you provided us. Thank you very much. Dana Bash over at the White House.

The parade continuing to unfold on the north side of the White House right now -- I believe this is the University of Nebraska at Omaha marching band. They're continuing to move forward. Among other things, the parade still has a lot of floats and a lot of other aspects to go before it's all over.

This is the United States Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security. They're continuing to entertain, if you will, the president and the vice president on this inauguration day.

When we come back, a call for freedom heard around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom and America. We'll always be faithful to that cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Anticipation and expectations, international reaction to President Bush's next term in office. Our live coverage continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is the Americana, is representing the beautiful state of Idaho, over 350 performers -- performances in 25 years, performers ranging in age from 9 to 68 years old.

This is now the Ballou Band from Washington, D.C. So, we've gone from Idaho to the District of Columbia only within a matter of seconds as we watch what's going on, the reviewing stand right to the left of them as they march past the president of the United States. The Ballou High School band, one of the best in Washington, D.C.

Welcome back to our continuing coverage of this inauguration.

George W. Bush today became just the 16th president in U.S. history to begin a second elected term, taking the oath of office on the Capitol steps. After a swearing-in by the chief justice, William Rehnquist, Mr. Bush launched into his inaugural address, stressing themes of freedom and liberty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny, prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, violence will gather and multiply in destructive power and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat.

There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In his inaugural speech, the president made indirect references to Iraq, but never mentioned that word specifically. While his goal of Iraqis voting in national elections is scheduled to take place in 10 days, the deadly insurgency shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People shoot from us from that mosque all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Half a world away from Pennsylvania Avenue, the streets of Mosul reveal much that challenges President Bush as commander-in-chief and the troops he's sworn to lead. For one, figuring out friend from foe. Its streets a microcosm of ethnic and religious tensions, of insurgent intimidation and a loathing of occupation that countrywide holds Iraqis back from embracing U.S. policy.

It is President Bush's perceived early failings in Iraq that present his biggest headache here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We told them it's necessary to build the country and to correct everything. But they don't do anything until now. For this reason, we don't trust for President Bush.

ROBERTSON: Overcoming that, in addition to providing security, is what taxes U.S. soldiers every day. Perceived wisdom among the troops on the ground is current policy will work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intent of building up the Iraqi security forces so that they can stand on their own is what is going to carry us through.

ROBERTSON: The challenge? Developing quality as well as quantity and doing it fast enough to match expectations of withdrawal that will likely grow over the next four years. Success in that has to aid in what is every wartime president's greatest challenge -- saving American lives. The challenge then becomes managing the expectations of the hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women who are willing to die for their country abroad, but who really want a secure future back home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he should focus on our economy and rebuilding the American workplace.

ROBERTSON: Perhaps the toughest challenge here, though, facing down political criticism and staying the course.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan, give these people a stable life and economy. And I think we're on the right track but I think it's just going to take time and persistence.

ROBERTSON (on camera): In the near term at least, Iraq is likely to remain one of President Bush's most pressing and immediate foreign policy challenges. How well he copes will impact the policies of presidents to come.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Mosul, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: They're also keeping a close eye on the president's inauguration in London, where Britain's Tony Blair has been a staunch ally of George W. Bush on many issues.

Earlier today, we asked some London residents how they view the policy challenges in the second Bush term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest foreign policy challenge? Well, it has to be Iraq, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody else has been able to do it, but I think he should try and find peace in the Middle East. I think that is the most important thing on the agenda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got no reason to be pessimistic what he's going to say. So far as, he doesn't sort of give me any reason to think that he can't do the job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was -- I thought it was going to be good between the Israelites and the Palestinians, but now it looks bad again. So, I think if he can sort of get that right, that's the biggest challenge at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: and we're see the Virginia Military Institute's marching band, 1,000 members on the other side of the screen. There they are, the Virginia Military Institute getting ready for the next part of this parade.

With another take on today's events here in Washington, let's turn to CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield and David Gergen, a former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. He now teaches at Harvard University.

For those viewers who just may be coming home after working all day, didn't hear the president, what was the most important message that he sought to deliver today, David?

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: This was not a conciliatory George Bush holding out the olive branch to Democrats here at home, nor to regimes overseas that support terrorism.

This was a resolute, determined George Bush who gave a first half of his speech, very surprisingly, to the international scene and was extremely aggressive in his commitment to promoting democracy, spreading democracy. This is no longer a question as America once did of defending nations from attacks on freedom. This is a question of us aggressively pushing freedom into other nations. And the BBC is reporting tonight that the alarm bells must be going off in Tehran and in Damascus.

BLITZER: Well, I can understand in Tehran, Damascus, Pyongyang in North Korea, they might be nervous. But here in this country, is this politically dicey material that the president was seeking to convey?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: It is, and, for me at least, for a really interesting reason.

From the birth of the Republic, Americans have believed freedom that is a worldwide good. "Liberty Enlightening the World" is the real name of the Statue of Liberty. But this president is saying something different. He is not simply saying, wouldn't it be a great thing if the whole world were free and were with the Greek freedom fighters in the 1840s? It's a matter of our national safety to spread freedom and democracy, because, taking a page from President Reagan, who said free nations don't make war on each other, free nations don't promote terrorism and rogue states and dangerous weapons in the hands of bad people.

So he is saying, as a matter of American national interest and safety, we have to promote freedom and democracy. We have to use, as he said, our considerable influence. And while he said it wasn't primary arms, it wasn't quite clear what it was. He put on the table direct warnings to despotic regimes, quoting Abe Lincoln, that, if you deny freedom to others, you are not going to have it for yourself, and in a just -- in a world with a just God, you are not remain very long that way.

That is pretty strong language for not just the axis of evil, but for the Saudis, the Pakistanis.

GERGEN: It is, and it's such a big departure from where we started as a country, when Thomas Jefferson, in his first inaugural, warned us against entangling alliances, warned us against -- and John Quincy Adams and the Adams -- used to talk we will not go overseas to slay monsters. And here, the president is coming along and saying, there are a lot of monsters over there. Unless we slay those monsters, we can't be free here at home.

BLITZER: Well, do you think, David -- and we're watching the parade begin to wrap up, the president and the first lady getting ready to leave. We just saw the finale float there. But is this an area where you think the Democrats are likely to pick a fight with the president?

GERGEN: Well, I think they will tread softly in picking a fight.

(CROSSTALK)

GERGEN: Because, after all, there are echoes here of what Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter used to talk about, human rights in other countries. And he was often derided by Republicans.

But I don't think they're going to be willing to fund a lot of this. I don't think they are going to be willing to go with him if it means more than the sort of quiet promotion of democracy. I think, if it becomes a lot more ambitious, as he is suggesting, I think...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: It will be tough, Jeff, for Democrats to argue that this is not good, democracy, freedom, fighting for human rights around the world? GREENFIELD: Not only is it alien to what Americans believe about what human beings have a right to do, there is at one level an absolute logic to what the president is saying. Free nations don't make war on each other. You cannot find a democratic country that's harboring terrorism and spreading weapons of mass destruction.

What I think this is going to put in even sharper relief is what happens in Iraq after the elections, because what I think the president's critics can say is, look, this is fine theory. We're all for this. But the one place you've tried to do it, you've done it so badly that you've actually created more problems for the United States and more threats than otherwise.

And I believe the next six months in Iraq and what happens in Syria, what happens in Iran, seems to be next up on this administration's target list, at least in terms of encouraging dissidents, that message in the inaugural speech about democratic fighters who are in jail, we're with you, we know you're the next generation's leaders in that country, that's aimed squarely at Tehran's...

(CROSSTALK)

GERGEN: Our policy going into this speech was, we'll work with the Europeans to negotiate with the Iranians to try to reduce their nuclear weapons.

What he's saying is, we want regime change in places like Iran and Syria.

GREENFIELD: Yes.

GERGEN: That goes way beyond what the Europeans think our policy ought to be.

BLITZER: But no one thinks that the U.S. military has the wherewithal right now.

GERGEN: No.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: If you think regime change in Iraq is difficult, you can imagine what it would be in a much larger country like Iran, its next-door neighbor.

The president and first lady walking into the White House. Stand by for a moment here.

Judy Woodruff is right over there. Judy, the parade, I take it, has completely wrapped up by now. Is that right?

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Wolf.

The parade wrapped up about 20, 25 minutes late. And we think that was because there was some sort of delay after the luncheon at the Capitol, because it did move briskly. Once the president and the first lady reached the White House, reached the reviewing stand, this parade moved along, and moved along at a brisk pace, but there did seem to be a delay earlier in the day.

But, Wolf, it is now dark, you can see from this pictures of the White House. And, as we mentioned, the stands cleared out here several hours ago. I was actually surprised to see people who paid money, who support this president, they cleared out when this parade was not even halfway done -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It's chilly out there, but that may be a factor as well, right, Judy?

WOODRUFF: Well, I think that's part of it. But I've covered a number of inaugurals, and I don't quite remember seeing the stands empty out like this.

Now, somebody may stand to correct me. Maybe David or Jeff or you remember a similar situation, but this strikes me as different.

BLITZER: All right, Judy Woodruff is over there.

And what a beautiful picture of the White House right now, the first lady, the president, they have gone back inside. They're going to change now, David Gergen, get ready for some partying tonight.

(LAUGHTER)

GERGEN: Yes.

BLITZER: You've been around that kind of situation. There's a lot of pressure on them to go to all those balls.

GERGEN: He will. He will dutifully go. He'll have fun at about three or four of them. But when he has to go to nine, it's going to become a matter of duty.

But I do notice that he plans to be home by 11:30. That's a far cry from -- Bill Clinton would be there until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning.

BLITZER: Bill Clinton would have been -- would have been there all night. This president likes to go to bed early.

Wrap this up for us, Jeff.

GREENFIELD: It's just -- it's a really curious kind of day in which at one and the same time, almost in the same breath, Wolf, you talk from the prospects of the United States being entangled in one of the most difficult foreign policy dilemmas, potentially trying regime change in very dangerous parts of the world, and then wondering what Laura Bush is going to be wearing and who is going to get to the pigs in the blankets at whatever ball they're going to next.

(LAUGHTER) GREENFIELD: Yes. And you really -- you just have to be able to do both of these things at the same time. And that's part of what makes this country so puzzling, I think, to people who don't live here. How can you put these two things together? We've been doing it for the better part of 200 years.

GERGEN: And what makes inaugurations so special? It's so different here in this country.

GREENFIELD: Yes.

BLITZER: All right, we'll continue to do it, God willing, for another 200 years, plus many more hundreds of years. Thanks very much, Jeff Greenfield, did an excellent job today.

David Gergen, as usual, good commentary.

GERGEN: Thank you, sir.

BLITZER: Both served as president of the United States, but only one managed to get reelected. What helped George W. Bush succeed where his father failed?

Plus, pomp, circumstance, pageantry and protests, the sights and sounds of this historic Inauguration Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The president was in the Oval Office before 7:00 a.m. this morning. That was before he and the first lady went across the street to church and then drove up eventually to Capitol Hill to be sworn in for a second time.

You're looking at these live pictures of the White House right now, inside, the president and first lady are getting ready for the start of tonight's partying, all the inauguration balls. They'll be going to nine of them tonight, expected to spend about 20 minutes at each one.

Welcome back to our continuing coverage.

Of all the things George W. Bush shares in common with his father, the most unique is their service as president of the United States. But with his swearing-in today for a second term, President Bush achieved a goal denied his father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush.

BLITZER (voice-over): Like father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States, George Walker Bush

BLITZER: Like son, up to a point. Both ran and won the highest office in the U.S. government.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, George Herbert Walker Bush.

BLITZER: George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.

G.W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.

BLITZER: George W. Bush the 43rd president. But only the son won the victory the father fought hard for, but failed to achieve, reelection and a second inauguration.

Why did the father fail where the son succeeded? Besides the one advantage all sitting presidents seeking reelection enjoy, the power of incumbency, most analysts cite several other key reasons why the son won and the father lost. Both father and son fought wars against Saddam. Both could claim success. The first President Bush drove Saddam out of Kuwait, but some analysts and critics say he let the dictator off the hook by not sending the allied forces into Iraq to capture him.

G.H.W. BUSH: I can report to the nation, aggression is defeated. The war is over.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Bush the son developed a very different war strategy. First came 9/11, the terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Declaring a war on terror, Bush first went after al Qaeda by invading Afghanistan.

Next, his administration insisted Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and suggested there may be a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. The president ordered the invasion of Iraq with fewer allies than his father had, the so-called coalition of the willing. Not only did he topple Saddam from power. He captured him.

G.W. BUSH: And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.

BLITZER: Bush has never wavered in his decision to go to war against Iraq.

G.W. BUSH: I will continue to be as straightforward and plainspoken about my view that freedom is necessary for peace and that everybody deserves to be free.

BLITZER: During the 2004 campaign, he was hammered time and again by John Kerry on the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, on his failure to prove without a doubt there was a link between Saddam and Osama bin Laden, and his failure so far to stabilize Iraq.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He rushed to war without a plan to win the peace. BLITZER: But what Kerry saw as failure, many Americans saw as strong leadership, at least the 51 percent who voted for Bush.

The one category in which John Kerry was never able to surge ahead of Bush in the polls was being a strong leader. Some political analysts also argue another Kerry disadvantage was that he was no Bill Clinton, the master politician who beat the first President Bush in 1992. Unlike Clinton, Kerry failed to win enough moderate red-state voters and failed to prevent some conservative Democrats from voting for Bush.

The economy was another factor that didn't torpedo Bush's second campaign, like it did his father's.

G.H.W. BUSH: Read my lips, no new taxes.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Much to his regret, he later had to eat those words and raise taxes. And when he hit the reelection campaign trail, the economy was working against him, something his opponent reminded voters time and time again.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The mistake that was made was making the read my lips promise in the first place just to get elected.

BLITZER: George W. Bush also had to deal with a shaky economy during his campaign. But, by then, his recession was over and his surrogates were masterful in arguing that conditions were good for most Americans and would only get better with Bush in office four more years.

Finally, there was the personality difference between father and son.

G.H.W. BUSH: Thank you all.

BLITZER: Many saw this Yale graduate and highbrow Episcopalian as an elitist who didn't know how to communicate with ordinary people. The son was a Yalie, too, but one who was a proud born-again Christian and who appears more comfortable in cowboy boots and jeans at his Texas ranch, rather than a suit at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we'll have the sights and sounds of today's inauguration. That's coming up. We'll show you the most memorable moments right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The North Lawn of the White House on this day, January 20, Inauguration Day. The festivities, most of the festivities are over, the balls about to begin throughout Washington tonight, nine of them. The president and first lady will attend all of them. A beautiful night in Washington. In fact, the weather turned excellent today for this day, a bit chilly, but there was no snow and certainly not as bad as it was only 24 hours earlier.

Whether you voted for President Bush or not, the inauguration of an American president is one of the most unique and awesome days in the life of the republic.

Here are some of today's more memorable sights and sounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, George Walker Bush.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: The vice president of the United States will now take the oath of office.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Richard Cheney, do solemnly swear...

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: It gives me great pleasure to introduce the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the honorable William H. Rehnquist, who will administer the presidential oath of office.

G.W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush...

CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM REHNQUIST, U.S. SUPREME COURT: ... do solemnly swear...

BUSH: ... do solemnly swear...

REHNQUIST: ... that I will faithfully execute...

BUSH: ... that I will faithfully execute...

REHNQUIST: ... the office of president of the United States...

BUSH: ... the office of president of the United States...

REHNQUIST: ... and will, to the best of my ability...

BUSH: ... and will, to the best of my ability...

REHNQUIST: ... preserve, protect and defend...

BUSH: ... preserve, protect and defend...

REHNQUIST: ... the Constitution of the United States...

BUSH: ... the Constitution of the United States... REHNQUIST: ... so help me God.

BUSH: ... so help me God.

REHNQUIST: Congratulations.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats.

America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.

Renewed in our strength, tested but not weary, we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

("STAR-SPANGLED BANNER")

G.W. BUSH: I am impressed by this inaugural ceremony. It is a magnificent event. It reminds us that we serve a cause larger than ourselves. We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's now officially the second term of this president of the United States. He's got four years to achieve his agenda.

Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Aired January 20, 2005 - 17:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.

ANNOUNCER: Term two begins, the inauguration of President George W. Bush.

Expanding freedom, promises and warnings to the world in the closely watched inaugural speech.

BUSH: All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. America in this young century proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.

ANNOUNCER: A standing ovation for the physically ailing chief justice, administering the oath despite his battle with cancer.

From the Middle East to Europe, international reaction to the second Bush term.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (though translator): Since he became involved in politics, there has only been disaster in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I do believe he's capable of bringing peace.

ANNOUNCER: Only on CNN, the massive task of inaugural security. We'll get an exclusive look inside the FBI command center.

And like father, unlike son. Why George W. Bush succeeded where his father failed, securing a second term. This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, "George W. Bush: The Road Ahead," for Thursday, January 20th, 2005.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Pomp, circumstance, pageantry, even some protest, all part of the country's 55th presidential inauguration. Today the marching bands continuing to move down Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the president and the reviewing stands. Welcome to our coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington, where George W. Bush took the oath of office from the chief justice and delivered an inaugural speech full of both promise and warning. We have complete coverage for you this hour, beginning with CNN's Kathleen Koch live along the inaugural parade route -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I'm here at 4th and Pennsylvania where the pageantry of the inaugural parade has been flowing past since it began around 2:30 today. It's been a very chilly day in Washington, about 30 degrees when President Bush took the oath of office just before noon. It didn't stop folks from turning out, specifically there were some large groups of protesters, but by and large, this has been a day of celebration for President Bush and his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH (voice-over): The Capitol basked in a golden glow as did those gathered for a second time to see George W. Bush sworn in as president.

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: Would you raise your right hand, Mr. President.

KOCH: Chief Justice William Rehnquist in his first public appearance since cancer surgery administered the oath of office.

BUSH: ... do solemnly swear...

KOCH: Also on hand the president's parents, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Bush family members, friends and political foes. In his inaugural speech Mr. Bush used the word "freedom" 27 times when laying out his vision of America's mission.

BUSH: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

KOCH: Iraq and Afghanistan were never mentioned but President Bush made clear his commitment to their future.

BUSH: Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon.

KOCH: The president pledged to heal the divisions between the political parties and made only passing reference to second-term priorities like Social Security reform. Security was unprecedented on this, the first inaugural since 9/11. Mr. Bush described the attack's formative impact on his presidency.

BUSH: My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve and have found it firm.

KOCH: A handful of protesters trying to disrupt the speech managed to get within earshot. Still, the president appeared to clearly enjoy his second inaugural. Inside he reflected on the occasion.

BUSH: It reminds us that we serve a cause larger than ourselves. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us.

KOCH: Then it was off for the traditional parade. There were protesters, but they were outnumbered by supporters. The president and the first lady even briefly left their limousine to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Participation by the U.S. military in the parade today. There's also an inaugural ball for U.S. military members this evening. This all a nod to some of the early concern and criticism that having a lavish $40 million inaugural might be unseemly while the nation was at war -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch, along the parade route, Kathleen, thank you very much. On the right part of the screen we're seeing the parade continue to unfold right outside the White House. Right now the University of Tennessee, Pride of the Southland Marching Band, they're emerging, they're going right past the reviewing stand to the delight of the president and the first lady up in the reviewing stand right there.

CNN's Judy Woodruff is right across the street watching all of this. Let's check in with her -- Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Wolf. I am right across the street from the president's reviewing stand. And we've watched the crowd here patiently wait for the president to get here, after his lunch, of course, his speech and lunch. This is really -- these are all friends and family of the president. We've watched the president and the first lady waving to their friends, very much enjoying the atmosphere, the afternoon, the parade, and at the same time, Wolf, we are reminded because of the heavy security that this is a country very divided over this presidency. He did win by 3.5 million votes, but a lot of people are unhappy about it. We saw the protesters that Kathleen mentioned. What we've seen here is such tight security that only those people who passed an identity test were able to get tickets. These are the choice seats where I'm sitting. So a day of celebration for the Bushes, but very much a reminder of what the first term wrought in terms of support and dissent on the part of the American people -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much. Right now in front of the president, the Mercer (ph) County's Sheriff's Posse, representing California in front of the inaugural -- in front of the revueing stand there from the president. Part of the floats, part of the marching bands, part of the celebrations, all 50 states, all branches of the U.S. military, various branches of U.S. law enforcement, all represented during the parade. For many it's a day of celebration, but not necessarily for everyone. CNN's Mary Snow is trying to gauge reaction from across the country and is joining us live from New York.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. You know, from the East Coast to the West Coast, there was reaction to the inauguration. Some protested, others prayed, and for yet others, there was some point in between. In New York City, at the United Nations, staffers stopped to watch President Bush's speech. Elsewhere in New York, the attention was not as focused at Fordham University where the cafeteria drew a bigger crowd. The students who watched were divided on opinions and the issues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest issue to me is terrorism, keeping America safe, and I think his notion that we have to spread democracy and freedom throughout the world is important.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What really showed (ph) me today was things the president omitted in his speech. He didn't place much emphasis on domestic issues. That's huge to our country.

SNOW (voice-over): In Baltimore, the passions were higher, where protesters demonstrated against the president's policies in Iraq. In San Francisco, many were commuting to work while the president was speaking, but for those who watched...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was very impressive speech though. A very large agenda the president has set for himself, though.

SNOW: In New Orleans, hundreds of protesters held a mock jazz funeral to protest what they dubbed the passing of democracy, a second term for President Bush. .

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not necessarily disappointed, I'm frightened.

SNOW: Some in Atlanta felt the opposite way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel at this point, no matter how you voted, George Bush is our president for the next four years, and we have to be hopeful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: One thing we heard from the people we spoke with, whether they were supporters or opponents of President Bush is the need for unity.

BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, thanks very much.

For anyone here in Washington watching the inauguration, one aspect very obvious indeed. That would be the extraordinary security for all these events. In a CNN exclusive, our justice correspondent Kelli Arena spent the day over at the FBI command center. Kelli joining us live in the studios. Kelli, pretty remarkable day.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It was, Wolf. Now the FBI as you know is not very visible on the streets, but it is playing a vital role during these inauguration celebrations. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): If anything goes wrong, this high-tech mobile command center would get as close to the incident as possible and serve as the operational center for the FBI. CNN was allowed an exclusive look but the agents inside did not want their faces shown for security reasons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over here are the radio operators for the tactical operations center. They'll be talking to the units we have in the field.

ARENA: Armed with satellite feeds from key locations and an ability to communicate in real time with every law enforcement agency in Washington, it sits at the ready outside the FBI's Washington field office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a large group trying to make an unlawful pass through a checkpoint.

ARENA: Inside that building, at the main command center, agents are monitoring protesters, watching for trouble along the parade route and running down any and all leads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have the capability to take in information literally from around the world. Whether it's FBI, legal attaches posted overseas, CIA officers, department of defense entities, so any information we believe would be relevant to the inauguration and to our coverage of the inauguration and follow-on investigation.

ARENA: The FBI points out it is playing a support role to the lead agency, the Secret Service. For the first time, FBI agents are at pedestrian checkpoints. They're also on the streets surveiling, but the rest of its force remains in the wings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From joint hazmat teams to joint bomb squads, to tactical teams on the parade route...

ARENA: Jim Rice (ph) commands all those units and says there are as many as 1,400 FBI agents and support staff ready to go at a moment's notice. He says so far, it's just another day in the nation's capital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had to deploy our hazmat and our EOD personnel and some of the intelligence personnel throughout the day as we get suspicious package calls and reports of containers of unknown liquids, things like that on the parade ground. All have been cleared without incident.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: One interesting thing to point out, the FBI wasn't only watching their own camera feeds, but the feeds from CNN and other media outlets, they say the more cameras, the better. The command center will remain in operation 24/7 until the official celebrations are safely concluded -- Wolf. BLITZER: Let's hope everything winds up very safe indeed. Kelli Arena, thanks for that exclusive report. Good work.

Please stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Coming up, spotlight on the chief justice of the United States, William Rehnquist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want you to know how touched I was that chief justice came to administer the oath.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A dramatic moment as the ailing chief justice braves the cold weather and takes center stage. CNN's live coverage continues of the inauguration right after this quick message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Auburn University Marching Band representing the beautiful state of Alabama. They're marching right in front of the president, vice president, first lady, Lynne Cheney. They're marching in front, on Pennsylvania Avenue, moving towards 17th Street, where this parade will end. Welcome back to our continuing coverage.

The inauguration marked the first official public appearance of the Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist since he underwent treatment for thyroid cancer in October, and it was clear the battle is taking a toll on him. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A performance perhaps more anticipated than the president's.

BLITZER: This is a dramatic moment for everyone. The chief justice of the United States suffering from cancer.

TODD: The very last dignitary on the platform, Chief Justice William Rehnquist enters after the president, a special accommodation, according to court sources. I'm watching all this with Bruce Fein, a deputy attorney general under President Reagan. Fein knows Rehnquist, has filed several cases before the court.

BRUCE FEIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: It does indicate that he's certainly suffering from a medical affliction.

TODD: Treated this fall for thyroid cancer, sighted recently in a wheelchair, Rehnquist and this particular moment are the subject of intense speculation. Is he fit for the job? With millions watching every step, Rehnquist needs a cane, but walks robustly into position. Compared to four years ago when he took the podium before the president, swore in both Mr. Bush and Vice President Cheney and stayed for the address, this time he only swears in the president.

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: Would you raise your right hand, Mr. President, and repeat after me?

TODD: Takes 34 seconds from start to finish.

BUSH: So help me God.

REHNQUIST: Congratulations.

TODD: And after shaking the president's hand, heads out, before the address.

(on camera): What does that tell you?

FEIN: That his doctor probably gave him advice he should minimize the exposure to the cold elements, because he's still in a very precarious situation. Now, it was evident to me that he's certainly lucid. He's not senile by any means.

TODD: Fein says Rehnquist's voice, clearly altered by a recent tracheotomy, was more frail.

REHNQUIST: That I will faithfully execute...

TODD: Another prominent attorney, who often argues cases before the court, told me he thought Rehnquist looked better that anybody had reason to expect. I asked Fein if he thinks Rehnquist is able to carry out his duties based on what we saw on the podium.

FEIN: I certainly think he's able to carry out in the sense that he has the cognitive capacity to understand the cases.

TODD: Still, Fein believes Rehnquist will retire in June, at the end of the court's current session, if not sooner, and he believes this could be the crowning point of his storied career. The chief justice certainly has the gratitude of his president.

BUSH: I want you to know how touched I was that chief justice came to administer the oath. That was an incredibly moving part of the ceremony.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Amid the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration is the huge amount of food prepared for the balls and other events, and making sure what the president eats today and every day is safe. Certainly that is a top priority. Our White House correspondent Dana Bash joining us now live with more on that -- Dana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve Moore is a caterer, cooked meals for hundreds of guests at inaugural balls. For 10 years as a Navy steward, he prepared food for the president himself, playing a critical role in his personal safety.

STEVE MOORE, FORMER NAVY STEWARD: Secret Service is more physical security, making sure nobody tries to stab the president or something like that. We make sure that he doesn't get poisoned with food or water, or dessert or something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Antidote.

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: From what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The poison you just drank.

BASH: After recent drama in the Ukraine, poisoning isn't just "Indiana Jones" fiction. Securing first food is no small job. It's carried out by a team of rarely seen stewards like Moore was, called presidential watch.

MOORE: We never lose control of the food. I mean, we know where it's come from from the moment we see it, until it goes out to the president to eat it. I mean, we keep an eye on the whole chain of events with food.

BASH: When the president eats at a restaurant like D.C.'s Morton's...

BUSH: I'll have my steak medium rare.

BASH: ... stewards are in the kitchen, dressed like chefs to blend in. They'd checked it out days earlier.

(on camera): What about for safety? In terms of -- not just in terms of, you know, in terms of what's in the kitchen, but food safety?

DANIEL FESTA, MORTON'S STEAKHOUSE: They (UNINTELLIGIBLE) food just like the health inspector would, they would check the temperature, make sure the coolers are at the right temperature for the food that's being stored in it. Same thing with the meat up front, make sure it's at the right temperature. Make sure there's no signs of any bacteria or anything that is visible.

BASH (voice-over): Or anything else. The key to presidential food safety? Keep it random. In a large group, it's a mystery which plate he gets, so it's harder to tamper with.

MOORE: Products that have been specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there's something wrong with that. Specifically labeled for the president, because that is -- that would say that maybe there is something wrong with that.

BASH: Someone tastes the food before he eats it, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never heard that there was a taster. BASH: Former Bush aide Brad Blakeman, like others we talk to, claim testers are a myth. Albeit one they want bad guys believing, but just in case security measures ever failed...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do take samples of the food in case there was a problem, we would know exactly where it emanated from.

BASH: The safest venue for presidential chowing? Ironically, food his watch team never checked at surprise stops. It's harder to poison him if he just shows up.

Dig in, Mr. President.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And, Wolf, the president will attend nine inaugural balls tonight. Even if he doesn't eat, if he takes a sip of water, you can guarantee those stealth Navy stewards are going to know exactly where it came from and know that it's safe -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Dana, that was very interesting. Having myself covered the White House for many years, I did not know a lot of that information you provided us. Thank you very much. Dana Bash over at the White House.

The parade continuing to unfold on the north side of the White House right now -- I believe this is the University of Nebraska at Omaha marching band. They're continuing to move forward. Among other things, the parade still has a lot of floats and a lot of other aspects to go before it's all over.

This is the United States Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security. They're continuing to entertain, if you will, the president and the vice president on this inauguration day.

When we come back, a call for freedom heard around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom and America. We'll always be faithful to that cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Anticipation and expectations, international reaction to President Bush's next term in office. Our live coverage continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is the Americana, is representing the beautiful state of Idaho, over 350 performers -- performances in 25 years, performers ranging in age from 9 to 68 years old.

This is now the Ballou Band from Washington, D.C. So, we've gone from Idaho to the District of Columbia only within a matter of seconds as we watch what's going on, the reviewing stand right to the left of them as they march past the president of the United States. The Ballou High School band, one of the best in Washington, D.C.

Welcome back to our continuing coverage of this inauguration.

George W. Bush today became just the 16th president in U.S. history to begin a second elected term, taking the oath of office on the Capitol steps. After a swearing-in by the chief justice, William Rehnquist, Mr. Bush launched into his inaugural address, stressing themes of freedom and liberty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny, prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, violence will gather and multiply in destructive power and cross the most defended borders and raise a mortal threat.

There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

(APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: In his inaugural speech, the president made indirect references to Iraq, but never mentioned that word specifically. While his goal of Iraqis voting in national elections is scheduled to take place in 10 days, the deadly insurgency shows no sign of ending any time soon.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People shoot from us from that mosque all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Half a world away from Pennsylvania Avenue, the streets of Mosul reveal much that challenges President Bush as commander-in-chief and the troops he's sworn to lead. For one, figuring out friend from foe. Its streets a microcosm of ethnic and religious tensions, of insurgent intimidation and a loathing of occupation that countrywide holds Iraqis back from embracing U.S. policy.

It is President Bush's perceived early failings in Iraq that present his biggest headache here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We told them it's necessary to build the country and to correct everything. But they don't do anything until now. For this reason, we don't trust for President Bush.

ROBERTSON: Overcoming that, in addition to providing security, is what taxes U.S. soldiers every day. Perceived wisdom among the troops on the ground is current policy will work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intent of building up the Iraqi security forces so that they can stand on their own is what is going to carry us through.

ROBERTSON: The challenge? Developing quality as well as quantity and doing it fast enough to match expectations of withdrawal that will likely grow over the next four years. Success in that has to aid in what is every wartime president's greatest challenge -- saving American lives. The challenge then becomes managing the expectations of the hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women who are willing to die for their country abroad, but who really want a secure future back home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he should focus on our economy and rebuilding the American workplace.

ROBERTSON: Perhaps the toughest challenge here, though, facing down political criticism and staying the course.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan, give these people a stable life and economy. And I think we're on the right track but I think it's just going to take time and persistence.

ROBERTSON (on camera): In the near term at least, Iraq is likely to remain one of President Bush's most pressing and immediate foreign policy challenges. How well he copes will impact the policies of presidents to come.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Mosul, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: They're also keeping a close eye on the president's inauguration in London, where Britain's Tony Blair has been a staunch ally of George W. Bush on many issues.

Earlier today, we asked some London residents how they view the policy challenges in the second Bush term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest foreign policy challenge? Well, it has to be Iraq, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nobody else has been able to do it, but I think he should try and find peace in the Middle East. I think that is the most important thing on the agenda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got no reason to be pessimistic what he's going to say. So far as, he doesn't sort of give me any reason to think that he can't do the job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was -- I thought it was going to be good between the Israelites and the Palestinians, but now it looks bad again. So, I think if he can sort of get that right, that's the biggest challenge at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: and we're see the Virginia Military Institute's marching band, 1,000 members on the other side of the screen. There they are, the Virginia Military Institute getting ready for the next part of this parade.

With another take on today's events here in Washington, let's turn to CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield and David Gergen, a former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. He now teaches at Harvard University.

For those viewers who just may be coming home after working all day, didn't hear the president, what was the most important message that he sought to deliver today, David?

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: This was not a conciliatory George Bush holding out the olive branch to Democrats here at home, nor to regimes overseas that support terrorism.

This was a resolute, determined George Bush who gave a first half of his speech, very surprisingly, to the international scene and was extremely aggressive in his commitment to promoting democracy, spreading democracy. This is no longer a question as America once did of defending nations from attacks on freedom. This is a question of us aggressively pushing freedom into other nations. And the BBC is reporting tonight that the alarm bells must be going off in Tehran and in Damascus.

BLITZER: Well, I can understand in Tehran, Damascus, Pyongyang in North Korea, they might be nervous. But here in this country, is this politically dicey material that the president was seeking to convey?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: It is, and, for me at least, for a really interesting reason.

From the birth of the Republic, Americans have believed freedom that is a worldwide good. "Liberty Enlightening the World" is the real name of the Statue of Liberty. But this president is saying something different. He is not simply saying, wouldn't it be a great thing if the whole world were free and were with the Greek freedom fighters in the 1840s? It's a matter of our national safety to spread freedom and democracy, because, taking a page from President Reagan, who said free nations don't make war on each other, free nations don't promote terrorism and rogue states and dangerous weapons in the hands of bad people.

So he is saying, as a matter of American national interest and safety, we have to promote freedom and democracy. We have to use, as he said, our considerable influence. And while he said it wasn't primary arms, it wasn't quite clear what it was. He put on the table direct warnings to despotic regimes, quoting Abe Lincoln, that, if you deny freedom to others, you are not going to have it for yourself, and in a just -- in a world with a just God, you are not remain very long that way.

That is pretty strong language for not just the axis of evil, but for the Saudis, the Pakistanis.

GERGEN: It is, and it's such a big departure from where we started as a country, when Thomas Jefferson, in his first inaugural, warned us against entangling alliances, warned us against -- and John Quincy Adams and the Adams -- used to talk we will not go overseas to slay monsters. And here, the president is coming along and saying, there are a lot of monsters over there. Unless we slay those monsters, we can't be free here at home.

BLITZER: Well, do you think, David -- and we're watching the parade begin to wrap up, the president and the first lady getting ready to leave. We just saw the finale float there. But is this an area where you think the Democrats are likely to pick a fight with the president?

GERGEN: Well, I think they will tread softly in picking a fight.

(CROSSTALK)

GERGEN: Because, after all, there are echoes here of what Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter used to talk about, human rights in other countries. And he was often derided by Republicans.

But I don't think they're going to be willing to fund a lot of this. I don't think they are going to be willing to go with him if it means more than the sort of quiet promotion of democracy. I think, if it becomes a lot more ambitious, as he is suggesting, I think...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: It will be tough, Jeff, for Democrats to argue that this is not good, democracy, freedom, fighting for human rights around the world? GREENFIELD: Not only is it alien to what Americans believe about what human beings have a right to do, there is at one level an absolute logic to what the president is saying. Free nations don't make war on each other. You cannot find a democratic country that's harboring terrorism and spreading weapons of mass destruction.

What I think this is going to put in even sharper relief is what happens in Iraq after the elections, because what I think the president's critics can say is, look, this is fine theory. We're all for this. But the one place you've tried to do it, you've done it so badly that you've actually created more problems for the United States and more threats than otherwise.

And I believe the next six months in Iraq and what happens in Syria, what happens in Iran, seems to be next up on this administration's target list, at least in terms of encouraging dissidents, that message in the inaugural speech about democratic fighters who are in jail, we're with you, we know you're the next generation's leaders in that country, that's aimed squarely at Tehran's...

(CROSSTALK)

GERGEN: Our policy going into this speech was, we'll work with the Europeans to negotiate with the Iranians to try to reduce their nuclear weapons.

What he's saying is, we want regime change in places like Iran and Syria.

GREENFIELD: Yes.

GERGEN: That goes way beyond what the Europeans think our policy ought to be.

BLITZER: But no one thinks that the U.S. military has the wherewithal right now.

GERGEN: No.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: If you think regime change in Iraq is difficult, you can imagine what it would be in a much larger country like Iran, its next-door neighbor.

The president and first lady walking into the White House. Stand by for a moment here.

Judy Woodruff is right over there. Judy, the parade, I take it, has completely wrapped up by now. Is that right?

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Wolf.

The parade wrapped up about 20, 25 minutes late. And we think that was because there was some sort of delay after the luncheon at the Capitol, because it did move briskly. Once the president and the first lady reached the White House, reached the reviewing stand, this parade moved along, and moved along at a brisk pace, but there did seem to be a delay earlier in the day.

But, Wolf, it is now dark, you can see from this pictures of the White House. And, as we mentioned, the stands cleared out here several hours ago. I was actually surprised to see people who paid money, who support this president, they cleared out when this parade was not even halfway done -- Wolf.

BLITZER: It's chilly out there, but that may be a factor as well, right, Judy?

WOODRUFF: Well, I think that's part of it. But I've covered a number of inaugurals, and I don't quite remember seeing the stands empty out like this.

Now, somebody may stand to correct me. Maybe David or Jeff or you remember a similar situation, but this strikes me as different.

BLITZER: All right, Judy Woodruff is over there.

And what a beautiful picture of the White House right now, the first lady, the president, they have gone back inside. They're going to change now, David Gergen, get ready for some partying tonight.

(LAUGHTER)

GERGEN: Yes.

BLITZER: You've been around that kind of situation. There's a lot of pressure on them to go to all those balls.

GERGEN: He will. He will dutifully go. He'll have fun at about three or four of them. But when he has to go to nine, it's going to become a matter of duty.

But I do notice that he plans to be home by 11:30. That's a far cry from -- Bill Clinton would be there until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning.

BLITZER: Bill Clinton would have been -- would have been there all night. This president likes to go to bed early.

Wrap this up for us, Jeff.

GREENFIELD: It's just -- it's a really curious kind of day in which at one and the same time, almost in the same breath, Wolf, you talk from the prospects of the United States being entangled in one of the most difficult foreign policy dilemmas, potentially trying regime change in very dangerous parts of the world, and then wondering what Laura Bush is going to be wearing and who is going to get to the pigs in the blankets at whatever ball they're going to next.

(LAUGHTER) GREENFIELD: Yes. And you really -- you just have to be able to do both of these things at the same time. And that's part of what makes this country so puzzling, I think, to people who don't live here. How can you put these two things together? We've been doing it for the better part of 200 years.

GERGEN: And what makes inaugurations so special? It's so different here in this country.

GREENFIELD: Yes.

BLITZER: All right, we'll continue to do it, God willing, for another 200 years, plus many more hundreds of years. Thanks very much, Jeff Greenfield, did an excellent job today.

David Gergen, as usual, good commentary.

GERGEN: Thank you, sir.

BLITZER: Both served as president of the United States, but only one managed to get reelected. What helped George W. Bush succeed where his father failed?

Plus, pomp, circumstance, pageantry and protests, the sights and sounds of this historic Inauguration Day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The president was in the Oval Office before 7:00 a.m. this morning. That was before he and the first lady went across the street to church and then drove up eventually to Capitol Hill to be sworn in for a second time.

You're looking at these live pictures of the White House right now, inside, the president and first lady are getting ready for the start of tonight's partying, all the inauguration balls. They'll be going to nine of them tonight, expected to spend about 20 minutes at each one.

Welcome back to our continuing coverage.

Of all the things George W. Bush shares in common with his father, the most unique is their service as president of the United States. But with his swearing-in today for a second term, President Bush achieved a goal denied his father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush.

BLITZER (voice-over): Like father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States, George Walker Bush

BLITZER: Like son, up to a point. Both ran and won the highest office in the U.S. government.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, George Herbert Walker Bush.

BLITZER: George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.

G.W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear.

BLITZER: George W. Bush the 43rd president. But only the son won the victory the father fought hard for, but failed to achieve, reelection and a second inauguration.

Why did the father fail where the son succeeded? Besides the one advantage all sitting presidents seeking reelection enjoy, the power of incumbency, most analysts cite several other key reasons why the son won and the father lost. Both father and son fought wars against Saddam. Both could claim success. The first President Bush drove Saddam out of Kuwait, but some analysts and critics say he let the dictator off the hook by not sending the allied forces into Iraq to capture him.

G.H.W. BUSH: I can report to the nation, aggression is defeated. The war is over.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Bush the son developed a very different war strategy. First came 9/11, the terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Declaring a war on terror, Bush first went after al Qaeda by invading Afghanistan.

Next, his administration insisted Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and suggested there may be a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. The president ordered the invasion of Iraq with fewer allies than his father had, the so-called coalition of the willing. Not only did he topple Saddam from power. He captured him.

G.W. BUSH: And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.

BLITZER: Bush has never wavered in his decision to go to war against Iraq.

G.W. BUSH: I will continue to be as straightforward and plainspoken about my view that freedom is necessary for peace and that everybody deserves to be free.

BLITZER: During the 2004 campaign, he was hammered time and again by John Kerry on the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, on his failure to prove without a doubt there was a link between Saddam and Osama bin Laden, and his failure so far to stabilize Iraq.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He rushed to war without a plan to win the peace. BLITZER: But what Kerry saw as failure, many Americans saw as strong leadership, at least the 51 percent who voted for Bush.

The one category in which John Kerry was never able to surge ahead of Bush in the polls was being a strong leader. Some political analysts also argue another Kerry disadvantage was that he was no Bill Clinton, the master politician who beat the first President Bush in 1992. Unlike Clinton, Kerry failed to win enough moderate red-state voters and failed to prevent some conservative Democrats from voting for Bush.

The economy was another factor that didn't torpedo Bush's second campaign, like it did his father's.

G.H.W. BUSH: Read my lips, no new taxes.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Much to his regret, he later had to eat those words and raise taxes. And when he hit the reelection campaign trail, the economy was working against him, something his opponent reminded voters time and time again.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The mistake that was made was making the read my lips promise in the first place just to get elected.

BLITZER: George W. Bush also had to deal with a shaky economy during his campaign. But, by then, his recession was over and his surrogates were masterful in arguing that conditions were good for most Americans and would only get better with Bush in office four more years.

Finally, there was the personality difference between father and son.

G.H.W. BUSH: Thank you all.

BLITZER: Many saw this Yale graduate and highbrow Episcopalian as an elitist who didn't know how to communicate with ordinary people. The son was a Yalie, too, but one who was a proud born-again Christian and who appears more comfortable in cowboy boots and jeans at his Texas ranch, rather than a suit at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we'll have the sights and sounds of today's inauguration. That's coming up. We'll show you the most memorable moments right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The North Lawn of the White House on this day, January 20, Inauguration Day. The festivities, most of the festivities are over, the balls about to begin throughout Washington tonight, nine of them. The president and first lady will attend all of them. A beautiful night in Washington. In fact, the weather turned excellent today for this day, a bit chilly, but there was no snow and certainly not as bad as it was only 24 hours earlier.

Whether you voted for President Bush or not, the inauguration of an American president is one of the most unique and awesome days in the life of the republic.

Here are some of today's more memorable sights and sounds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, George Walker Bush.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: The vice president of the United States will now take the oath of office.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I, Richard Cheney, do solemnly swear...

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: It gives me great pleasure to introduce the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the honorable William H. Rehnquist, who will administer the presidential oath of office.

G.W. BUSH: I, George Walker Bush...

CHIEF JUSTICE WILLIAM REHNQUIST, U.S. SUPREME COURT: ... do solemnly swear...

BUSH: ... do solemnly swear...

REHNQUIST: ... that I will faithfully execute...

BUSH: ... that I will faithfully execute...

REHNQUIST: ... the office of president of the United States...

BUSH: ... the office of president of the United States...

REHNQUIST: ... and will, to the best of my ability...

BUSH: ... and will, to the best of my ability...

REHNQUIST: ... preserve, protect and defend...

BUSH: ... preserve, protect and defend...

REHNQUIST: ... the Constitution of the United States...

BUSH: ... the Constitution of the United States... REHNQUIST: ... so help me God.

BUSH: ... so help me God.

REHNQUIST: Congratulations.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

G.W. BUSH: I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people from further attacks and emerging threats.

America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof.

Renewed in our strength, tested but not weary, we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

("STAR-SPANGLED BANNER")

G.W. BUSH: I am impressed by this inaugural ceremony. It is a magnificent event. It reminds us that we serve a cause larger than ourselves. We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's now officially the second term of this president of the United States. He's got four years to achieve his agenda.

Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

"LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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