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George W. Bush: The Road Ahead; Interview With Arnold Schwarzenegger

Aired January 20, 2005 - 10:59   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if David Gergen can hear me, but I'll ask the same question to Jeff Greenfield.
Why did this President Bush get reelected and his father didn't get reelected?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: I think there were two fundamental reasons. The first was 9/11. In the wake of the worst terrorist attack in American history, the president was able to make the argument that whatever -- whatever you disagreed with him about in other normal times, you had to make the judgment of who could keep America safer. And whatever people felt about Iraq -- there was a lot of discontent about that -- they felt that that -- on that issue the president was stronger.

The second was -- had, in my view, nothing to do with issues. There is a connection between this George Bush and the public in personal terms that the first George Bush never established. An ease, a kind of comfort level that people have with him. Even his adversaries.

You have Bill Clinton saying he likes George Bush, something most people in this party might find astonishing. And I think that those two things together were, at least in my view, the two dominant factors that made the difference.

ARI FLEISCHER, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: One other big issue, and that's the economy. His father had a terrible economy, at least as it was perceived going into the election. This president had an economy that actually was starting to move up. Two million jobs were created in 2004.

So the times are different. The economy is very different. The feeling of the country very different.

BARBARA KELLERMAN: Yes, I would like to throw another element into this hopper, which is the psyche of the incumbent. This is a man of fierce determination. I'm not implying the father was not determined, but the level of ambition and the ferocity of determination I think was clearly stronger in 43 than in 41.

BLITZER: David Gergen, did you hear me?

DAVID GERGEN: Yes, I did, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to -- I'm really anxious for you to weigh in on this subject, why father could not do what son has done.

GERGEN: Well, I want to follow up on something Jeff Greenfield said, if I might. And that is, the father, I believe, was a better diplomat than the son. But the son is a better politician.

He's very shrewd, he does connect with the country well, with the public well. Democratic senators told me recently he had been talking to former President Clinton. And Bill Clinton told him, you know, he was -- he's happy that back in 1992, when he ran for the presidency, he ran against the father and not the son, because the son would have been a much tougher opponent.

But that does bring up another interesting aspect of this, Wolf, another interesting relationship here on this podium. And that is the growing friendship between the father and Bill Clinton.

You know, they -- because they ran against each other in '92, they were quite distant for a long time. But this -- this -- working together on tsunami relief and other things have started bringing them together so that President Bush, papa Bush was just in the Clinton Library a couple days ago cutting some public service spots. And I understand that relationship has really warmed and they have a lot of respect for each another.

BLITZER: And they're both sort of likable kinds of guys, down to earth, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. And the argument, Ari Fleischer, was that the father was perhaps a little bit more elitist, someone you didn't necessarily want to go out and watch a football game with.

FLEISCHER: Well, I think that 43 really does strike that cord with the average person out there. And when I talked about ESPN Radio, the fact is he does like to go back to the residence at night and watch baseball tonight. He's a regular guy in that sense, and I think it makes it easier for people to identify.

But you still have to win on ideas and issues. And that has to come first. Because you can be likable and lose.

GREENFIELD: Right.

FLEISCHER: But he was likeable and he had good issues.

GREENFIELD: In fairness to the other party, we should also point out that George W. Bush had one great advantage that his father didn't. He didn't have to run against Bill Clinton.

FLEISCHER: That's a very good point.

BLITZER: Bill Clinton was a master politician. Clearly a lot better at that, at running for president than John Kerry.

And Paula Zahn, as we look at some of the people that are already there, John Kerry right in the middle of the activity over there. He doesn't seem to be far away from his old friend, fellow Vietnam War veteran John McCain. It's certainly a moment that I'm sure he's saying to himself, you know, I got close but not close enough.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And as you know, he and John McCain share a very close personal relationship. It is so very difficult from where we're sitting to gauge how this crowd is really reacting to John Kerry.

We thought we had heard what were sort of sustained boos when John Kerry first entered. This has got to be a very tough time for him. But it has also become quite clear from movement and strategies we have seen coming from his office this is a man who is not giving up hope of becoming president some day. You know, you talk to anybody in his Boston office and they'll say he is really looking at a long-term plan, how to shape legislation that might get him there.

BLITZER: All right. Here he is, the former president of the United States. Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the 42nd president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton and Senator Clinton.

BLITZER: This is a moment, Jeff Greenfield, that this former president of the United States deeply appreciates, having himself gone through it twice.

GREENFIELD: Yes. And as I say, I think the comments that the president has made -- at one point in the campaign he said, "I may be the only American that likes both John Kerry and George W. Bush."

I think any -- any member of this club -- you talked about friendship between the first President Bush and Clinton. President Ford and President Carter developed a strong friendship after they were both out of office. And I -- you can sort of understand why.

None of us I think has any sense of what kind of burden those people have. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I think you definitely see on that platform right now at least one person that some people think might be eyeing that podium four years from now, and that's Mrs. Clinton.

FLEISCHER: Think about this: we've had 43 presidents in our history. Only 16 of them have gotten to do this twice. It is not easy to be re-elected as president. President Clinton has done it, and President George W. Bush have done it.

BLITZER: We're still standing by for the arrival of the vice president of the United States, the arrival of the president of the United States. There's Condoleezza Rice. She's about to be confirmed as the next secretary of state, but not necessarily today. Maybe it will take a few more days before all is said and done.

We'll take a quick break. More of our special coverage of this inauguration right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's go back up to the podium right now. We're only, what, 15 minutes or so away from the formal swearing in of the president. John King has a special guest -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I'm here now with the Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Governor, thank you for joining us today. We were talking a minute ago about the challenge you think the president faces today. What do you think is the number one challenge?

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, I think that right now is challenge is to give a good speech, to be inspirational, to rally up the people in America and to let them know what the next four years is all about. And, of course, he's going to address that also in his State of the Union Address.

But I think this is a very special moment. I mean, especially for an immigrant like myself, who has watched every inauguration since I came to America, to watch this live here and to be at this great spot, and to represent the state of California.

So I'm very excited. And I think this is a new beginning. It is like another four years of starting. So I think it's going to be great. I'm very optimistic.

KING: You represent a state, as you know, California, that was not with the president. The country is still divided in many ways. What does he have to do at this moment?

SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, I think the obvious, to try to bring people together. And I think that the president has spoken about that he wants to bring the country together, he wants to bring the world together, he wants everyone to participate. Because, you know, we are one world and we have common interests. And I think that he's going to fight for that.

KING: There are some people who are trying to amend the Constitution of this country so a guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger might be able to run for president of the United States. As you look out at this moment, is that something in your mind?

SCHWARZENEGGER: No comment.

KING: No comment?

SCHWARZENEGGER: I'm only interested in one thing, and this is to fix California. That's what I was elected to do.

KING: But you're a young man. After that?

SCHWARZENEGGER: There's many, many challenges ahead of us.

KING: Governor, thank you for your time today.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Thank you very much. Good to see you. Thank you.

KING: Enjoy the moment. Take care. All right.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Hey, John, I see you've got another governor right near you, the governor of New York State, George Pataki. Maybe he wants to join you and get some thoughts from him as well. Do you see him right in front of you?

KING: Let me walk right down. Wolf, I'm with the class of 2008 here. All the governors here, George Pataki here, as well as Governor Schwarzenegger.

Governor, just wondering if I could sneak in here for a second and get your thoughts at this moment.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Well, it's obviously an emotional day, a patriotic day, when people from across the country and from every political part of the American spectrum are here honoring our president.

KING: Are the governors' class here? You looking around and swapping notes on who might be going to Iowa or New Hampshire pretty soon?

PATAKI: Governor (UNINTELLIGIBLE), they're all tremendous people. Great leaders.

KING: As you look at this scene, sir, a lot of people think George Pataki might be somebody interested in running for president a little bit down the road.

PATAKI: Right now I just want to hear the president give a great speech...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'd do a tremendous job. Tremendous.

PATAKI: ... and do a tremendous job.

KING: The governors are having a bit of fun up here. You come from a state, sir -- I've been asking this. I asked Mayor Giuliani, I just asked Governor Schwarzenegger. You come from a state, of course, where you deal with Democrats in the legislature. You are -- the Democrats outnumber Republicans.

What's the president's challenge in addressing the country today?

PATAKI: Well, I think the president has provided tremendous leadership. And that's why he was reelected. And I think Republicans and Democrats want that same strength in the face of the war against terror. And I think they also want to see a bipartisan approach.

And certainly that's what President Bush did when he was governor of Texas. It's what he did try -- try to do during his first term. And I'm confident the president will again reach across the aisle to all Americans to make sure we stand united as we face real challenges ahead of us. KING: One quick last question. It's the first inaugural since 9/11, obviously, which hit your state so hard. The security is overwhelming. Some say almost too much. Is that a sad footnote?

PATAKI: Well, it's very different from what it was four years ago. But it just reflects the realities of the world we live in today.

And I think the American people understand it, put up with it, tolerate it, because until the war against terror is behind us, it's just what we have to do. And for all that, you can see tens of thousands of people here celebrating America and celebrating this president's inaugural. And I'm excited about it.

KING: It's a beautiful day.

PATAKI: Beautiful.

KING: Governor, thank you for your time.

PATAKI: Thank you.

KING: Take care.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. John, thanks very much. Thank the two governors, New York State and California.

The former president, George Herbert Walker Bush, and Barbara Bush, they're about to be introduced. They're walking down these stairs right now with the presidential daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, as well. They will be walking inside.

It's a moment for all of the country to observe. But let's not forget that this is a time when the United States remains at war, specifically in Iraq. And U.S. troops, about 150,000 of them, remain very much in harm's way at this moment.

Our Christiane Amanpour is in Baghdad. Only a little bit more than a week from now there will be elections in Iraq.

Christiane, set the scene a little bit for us, the mood there as they watch this inauguration of the president.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood here, as you can imagine, is very different from what we have been hearing from your guests and those around the inauguration ceremonies in the United States. We were talking to several people today, certainly here in Baghdad, asking them precisely about this moment. And they said, "To be honest with you, we here, we're not really concerned by whether President Bush is going into his second or even his third term. What we're concerned about are the promises he made to us when this country was liberated by Saddam."

"What about rebuilding? What about bare essentials? What about peace and security?" Things that the Iraqi people are still waiting for.

There has been a dramatic upsurge in violence over the last several months. Just yesterday, one of the bloodiest days in the last couple of months, certainly. Twenty-six people killed in a series of suicide bombs. People looking toward the elections and wondering just how that will change their daily lives.

The president's most wanted here in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, today an audio recording of him saying that they were in this for the long haul. Whether it took months or years, they were going to wage, he said, a holy war.

U.S. commanders here admitting that their key exit strategy is not yet ready. In other words, to get a proper Iraqi armed forces, police, National Guard up to take over the security tasks of this. And looking towards the elections, a key moment because Iraqis have never had the ability to vote properly and freely. And they're certainly look forward to doing it. But if a huge bulk of the population, the Sunnis, which make up 20 percent of the population, doesn't vote, that will inevitably, according to people here, cause certainly a question about the legitimacy of those elections and cause this whole political system to continue to come under challenge, to come under a lot of pressure.

In addition, problems with the whole moral concept still. Those terrible images from Abu Ghraib about prisoner abuse, and now the British images about prisoner abuse are still seared into people's memories. So I think, you know, people are hoping very much for something good to happen on January 30, their elections, but wondering just what and just how.

BLITZER: All right. Let's listen to the introduction of the former president of the United States and Mrs. Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, what a nice welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 41st president of the United States, George Bush and Barbara Bush, accompanied by the daughters of President George W. Bush, Jenna and Barbara Bush.

BLITZER: The proud parents of the president of the United States on this very, very special day introduced to the dignitaries who have gathered on the podium, joined by their granddaughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, looking lovely, as they always do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Guy Hovis.

BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield, as we watch this, Christiane made some important points, not to forget this is a time of war for the United States.

GREENFIELD: It is. And I think you're going to hear that echoed in the president's remarks. It is also a time when this administration, having gotten a second term, immediately it is facing as hard a series of challenges in that country as you could imagine.

The election in Iraq is scheduled for, what, barely 10 days from now. And the big question that the president and his administration will have to face is, yes, and then what? Will there be a government that asks the United States to leave? And if they ask us to leave, does the United States leave if it believes this government cannot keep order in Iraq, cannot bring stability to Iraq? What happens if the country appears to be dissolving into an ethnic civil war?

So the idea that we have this moment, this day that we celebrate, an inaugural, when partisan and other kinds of ideological debates are put aside, can't conceal the fact that almost as soon as this inauguration is over, the president and his administration are going to face possibly the hardest challenge that they will have yet faced: what to do next.

BLITZER: And there's the first lady of the United States, Laura Bush, walking in. One of the most popular first ladies, I suspect, in many, many years, Barbara Kellerman. Whether or not you're a Democrat or a Republican, I think it's fair to say most Americans like Barbara -- like Laura Bush a lot.

KELLERMAN: They like Barbara Bush, too, but they -- they particularly like Laura. But the point I would actually make about Laura is not the response she evokes from the American people, but the incredibly important role she's played in the life of her husband.

It's clear that the marriage has been strong. Almost uninterruptedly from the start, with some concern at some earlier period about his drinking. She played a strong role in getting him to quit forever. And since he's been in the White House, she has been at his side and manifestly been a strong emotional, as well as political support to George W. Bush.

BLITZER: You saw the relationship, Ari Fleischer, up close, the relationship between the president and Mrs. Bush. It's a very, very strong relationship.

FLEISCHER: It's strong, Wolf, and it's informal. There's just a camaraderie, just a companionship, a sense of ease watching the two of them, whether it's in the Oval Office or in the residence or in the car. They just both have this wonderful sense of being down to earth, and I think one brings out the down to earth in the other.

GREENFIELD: She also helps in another way. And that is, people who are inclined to hold the president, as they say here, in minimum high regard, you look at Laura Bush, who's clearly a well read woman, a librarian by occupation, someone who celebrated American literature while she was in the White House, and also no doormat.

And you say, well, if the president -- if she's OK with him, and he was smart enough to pick her, he benefits from that. He actually -- you know, he always jokes about it, you know, "I married above myself." But in a sense, it's a way and a fact of disarming some of his critics who want to see the president in very critical terms. You say, well, how bad can he be if this -- if this really admirable, well read, sweet, but tough woman, decided that this is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with? I'm not suggesting it's calculated in any sense. But it happens to be a benefit.

BLITZER: The two women we were just -- we just saw in the white overcoats, Liz Cheney and Mary Cheney, the daughters -- there they are -- the daughters of the vice president. Liz Cheney on the left, Mary Cheney on the right. They are there to celebrate the inauguration, I guess, the swearing in of the vice president of the United States.

And Barbara, let's not forget, Dick Cheney has been an incredibly influential, powerful vice president. The House speaker, Dennis Hastert, will swear him in for a second term today, as well.

KELLERMAN: Well, what's interesting, Wolf, is that he's generally associated with being kind of a strong adviser, particularly in the domain of foreign policy. But as we have recently been reading, this is a man that is -- Vice President Dick Cheney -- who is absolutely as intent on supporting the president in his aggressive domestic policy agenda. So if Iraq is somewhat quiescent in the coming months, I think we're going to see Dick Cheney transfer his own attention from the foreign policy arena to the domestic policy arena.

GREENFIELD: He is also the first vice president in perhaps half a century with no presidential ambition. And because of that, I suspect it is one of the reasons why he's one of the most powerful vice presidents in history. Not only inside the White House, Ari, which you know a little bit, but there's no backbiting from presidential wannabes in the Republican Party because they don't see him as a rival.

FLEISCHER: Well, let me -- let me tell you a little story. Because the day that Governor Bush, then Governor Bush, selected Dick Cheney to be his running mate, Dick Cheney was downstairs at the governor's mansion on "LARRY KING LIVE." And I was upstairs in the governor's mansion and a commercial came on.

And the governor turned to me and he said, "Just you watch. At some point in my administration there will be a crisis, and Dick Cheney is exactly the type of man you want at your side when a crisis hits."

So he picked Dick Cheney because he thought it was a governing pick, not a political pick to get Wyoming, even though we needed their three electoral votes. It was a real governing selection, and he wanted a good adviser.

BLITZER: He picked Lynne Cheney, as well, in effect. He got Dick Cheney. He also got Lynne Cheney, who is no shrinking violate in her own right. There she is. She's walking in.

She's being - she has been introduced. She'll be joining the fellow dignitaries on that podium.

Yes, Jeff? GREENFIELD: I was just wondering if there's any other former "CROSSFIRE" host who will be on the inaugural platform, Wolf.

BLITZER: I don't think Pat Buchanan is going to be up there, at least anytime soon.

There he is, George Herbert Walker Bush. I guess on this day he's simply the proud papa in the -- and standing, talking to his granddaughter as well.

KELLERMAN: I just want to say, Wolf, that Lynne Cheney is a formidable power in her own right. She's held strong positions in government. But she also, to her intellectual credit, has a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin. So Dick Cheney married his match when he married Lynne Cheney.

BLITZER: They're about to introduce Laura Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Mrs. Laura Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Paula Zahn, you're right across from the podium over there. You're watching all of this. I'm anxious for you to weigh in a little bit. You have a bird's eye view. Set the scene for us from there.

ZAHN: Well, I think the one thing that has struck us as we sat here, besides the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of all the family members, is the appearance of the chief justice of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist. There has been so much speculation about his health, concern about his health. And we have all been led to believe today we could get some very clear indicators about what his status is.

He has been standing up for the last 40 minutes or so. He will be administering the oath of office. And what is critical about this is there has not been a Supreme Court appointment for 10 years, which is, what, Jeffrey Toobin, the largest gap we have seen since the 1820s.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. It's really an extraordinary moment in Supreme Court history. This court, these nine justices have been together for a decade. And that hasn't happened since the 1820s.

But I have been looking at the chief, Chief Justice Rehnquist, for the past half an hour or so. And I have really been struck by how good he looks. This is a man who's had a tracheotomy. This is a man who's fighting an extremely serious form of cancer.

He's been shouting (ph) easily. He's been standing up. He's been sitting down. He really -- unless you knew he was sick, you would not notice any difference from really four years ago.

ZAHN: And I suppose, David Gergen, there are a lot of people hoping in the White House for all of the right reasons that his health will hold. But if it had not, the president could have a really big challenge.

Your feeling is that, in order for him to get his legislative agenda through, given all the bitter divisions in Congress -- and he had to put up now with a serious fight in the Supreme Court -- this could make his second term incredibly difficult.

GERGEN: That's exactly right, Paula. I think that the president's interest is for the court to stay intact for another year while he can concentrate on his domestic agenda and the Congress.

The president is very anxious to get his Social Security package passed this coming year. He feels if he doesn't pass it this coming year, it may well not pass at all. And he wants to move ahead on tax reform.

If you had a Supreme Court fight that comes up during the year, it will be a huge diversion of energy and attention. It might -- it might -- and it would threaten his Social Security reform. So I think it is good news for him that the chief justice appears more fit today.

And I think that what his hope would be, he could sequence these things. That he could get Social Security done this year, go get his domestic legislation. Then do the Supreme Court, and then come back to foreign policy and perhaps deal with Iran and North Korea on perhaps a more forceful way toward the end of his first term.

That's the way a guy like Karl Rove would think. You have to sequence things in order to get them done.

ZAHN: We are waiting for the vice president to walk down the aisle to where his family will be seated. Of course preceded by the rest of his family.

I don't think we want to read too much into the appearance of Chief Rehnquist because none of us has any sort of inside line on exactly how he's doing. But I was just surprised given what John King described earlier about all the questions that would be asked, how to get him into the building, how to sort of lessen the wear and tear on him, that he's been standing up for the most part over the last 45 minutes.

TOOBIN: And today is a fairly temperate day, but it is not -- it's not balmy. And it's not easy to do what he's doing.

GERGEN: And the sun is finally coming out.

ZAHN: Oh, yippee!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inaugural coordinator for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Laura Nell Mitchell (ph).

Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms, Keith Kennedy (ph). House Deputy Sergeant at Arms, Kerry Hanly (ph). Senator William H. Frist. Representative Tom DeLay.

Ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney.

BLITZER: The vice president having been introduced. The only other person we're still awaiting arrival, that would be the president of the United States. That will be momentarily.

The president will be introduced. Ruffles and flourishes, the herald trumpets, the traditional announcement that the president of the United States has arrived. They are pretty much on schedule. Maybe a minute or two behind schedule, but there is plenty of padding to enable everyone to make sure that at 12:00 noon the swearing in ceremony will take place.

This is a moment. As we watch the pomp and circumstance, Ari Fleischer, what goes through your mind right now I'm sure is the historic significance. And we're watching the president begin to make the approach towards that podium.

FLEISCHER: Well, I think historic significance because this is part of our democratic tradition that keeps us free, regardless of who wins our elections. We are one people, especially on day like today.

But the other thing, Wolf, for much of the nation, 52 percent of the nation, it's a real feeling of internal jubilation. And I think for 48 percent of the nation or so, it's a real feeling of despair, a terrible sadness.

GREENFIELD: In fact...

FLEISCHER: These are the times we live in. And when you win, you really look back and you look at the day and you savor it. When you lose, you don't want to watch.

GREENFIELD: Remember John Kennedy began his famous inaugural by saying we observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom. A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll today said that 70 percent of the country thinks it's a political victory more than a broader celebration.

There are an awful lot of people in Washington of the Democratic persuasion who are elsewhere today and not in the nation's capital.

BLITZER: The president is being accompanied, as you can see, behind him. That's Chris Dodd, the Democrat from Connecticut, Trent Lott, the Republican from Mississippi. They're the co-chairmen of this joint -- this joint inaugural committee.

The speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert, walking right behind them.

And to our viewers around the world, especially, shall we say, in countries that are less than democratic, this is a reflection of the fact that yes, there's a bitter political debate that unfolds, a bitter election, but when all is said and done, the dust settles. Everyone, all the political leaders gather at the same spot here in the nation's capital to underscore that government continues and that the bitterness, at least on this one day, Barbara, has gone away. BARBARA KELLERMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, yes. Again, Wolf, it is a question of the substance and symbol at the same time. But I think we had some sobering reminders in the last few minutes: one from Christiane Amanpour in Baghdad, the second from -- about the domestic divisions in this country.

So it's almost as if we have parallel tracks of what we're witnessing in front of us, celebratory and triumphant, but we all know there is sobering realities behind, as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, accompanying the president...

BLITZER: Let's listen to the announcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Staff director for the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, Susan Wells; the Senate sergeant-at-arms, Bill Pickle; the House sergeant-at-arms, Bill Livingood; chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Senator Trent Lott; Senator Christopher Dodd; the speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert; Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist; Representative Tom DeLay and Representative Nancy Pelosi.

(MUSIC)

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

(MUSIC)

BLITZER: The president is there and the formal remarks are about to begin. Jeff Greenfield makes a good point. The sun a little bit is coming out right now, Jeff.

GREENFIELD: Yes. I wouldn't suggest that anybody planning a warm weather vacation would want to be in Washington right now, but certainly compared to four years ago, as I'm sure Ari would remember, when rain was spattering on some of the people actually on that platform. It was cold and it was damp.

And considering what we thought we might be getting yesterday, the president and the country and the ceremony got a big break. It's cold but clear and in January in Washington, that's about as good as you can get.

BLITZER: Ari, I guess from the weather standpoint it's easy to say it could have been worse.

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, it really was bad four years ago. We were all freezing to death sitting up there.

You notice, when the president arrived how he was standing, how he was carrying himself. And this also is part of the uniqueness of the office of the presidency. When he won the primary in South Carolina in 2000, a very divisive primary, he said to me afterwards that he's more aware of how he holds himself, how he stands. He started to make the transition from somebody whom the camera is occasionally on to someone for whom the camera is always on.

That doesn't happen to Senators. It doesn't happen even to speakers. It does happen only to the president. He has to be aware of it every living moment, that the camera is always on him.

BLITZER: And lest anyone, any of our viewers are really concerned about the cold temperatures in Washington, having been a podium reporter up there over in previously inaugurations, there are floor heaters for the distinguished VIP's right in the front. So Laura Bush, the president, the daughters and others who are there, including the president's mother, Barbara Bush, they're not as chilly as probably Paula Zahn and David Gergen, who are right across from where they are right now, which is all very important.

And there is John Kerry. Barbara Kellerman, as we see John Kerry, you can only say to yourself, I guess he's saying to himself right now, "I got close but not close enough."

KELLERMAN: Well, he got close but not close enough. And it's a familiar feeling that we've all read about before.

The loss for him was painful in ways that it wasn't for Al Gore. Al Gore, of course, lived with a disputed election for some time, but John Kerry actually thought he was president for several hours, as we know about those exit polls, those misleading exit polls. He actually was savoring victory, only to find out within a very short time that this was all to go up in smoke.

So for him, I think, from everything we've read, everything we know, it was a particularly difficult loss.

BLITZER: I notice that the former vice president of the United States, Dan Quayle, is there. I don't see the former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, there, Jeff. Did you see him by any chance?

GREENFIELD: No. And according to everything we know he's not -- he's not there. And that's -- that's -- you can, I suppose, draw your own conclusions. In fact, more often than not in these inaugurals, the platform, apart from what I was talking about, people who want the presidency, often on the platform is somebody who came very close to being president.

Al Gore sat there four years ago as the outgoing vice president. Bob Dole was on the platform as -- I think he was on the platform in 1997. Defeated presidents have to sit there and watch their successor, pay tribute to them and think, yes, that's very nice now but think of what you said, you know, two months ago.

So -- but I do think this is part of the strength of it. You can't get cynical about this process when you think, for instance, that the Ukraine is about to inaugurate a president under very different circumstances.

BLITZER: Here's Senator Lott, who has been the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee of the Inaugural Ceremonies. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trent Lott.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, fellow Americans, welcome to the United States Capitol and the 55th presidential inauguration, where in a few moments president George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney will reaffirm their solemn oaths of obligation to support and defend the Constitution.

The inaugural ceremony is a seminal moment in our nation's history. It's the culmination of a triumphant democratic process that for centuries has placed power in the will of the people. And a unique (ph) moment when our leaders stand before the nation and take an oath to uphold a set of principles chosen by those people.

It is a time when all Americans can be unite in appreciation for our great republic, while looking to the future with confidence and vision. The ceremony, like the shining dome of the Capitol above us, is an enduring symbol of America's strength and stability in both challenging and prosperous times.

As President Ronald Reagan said in his first inaugural address, freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available here than any other place on earth. The price of this freedom at times has been high. But we have never been unwilling to pay that price.

Since we last met here, America has been challenged. And it has responded to those great tests with strength and steadfast courage of conviction. We have responded by continuing to be a beacon of hope that has led so many from the shadows of tyranny into the light of freedom.

Today we honor America. Today we celebrate the ever expanding opportunities of her people. And today we also honor the brave men and women of our armed forces who sacrificed to guarantee our freedom.

They are standing vigil today to spread peace and freedom to millions throughout the world.

Since 1789, Americans have gathered in peaceful, dignified ceremonies to transfer and reaffirm the authority of our chief executives. So it is that we gather here again today, looking out over the expanse of greatness that is America, to celebrate our nation, to commemorate its rich history of achievement, to advance the intrepid hopes that reside in the hearts of our citizens, and to give thanks to God for his blessings upon us all.

In that spirit, I call now on the Reverend Dr. Louis Leon, who will deliver the invocation. Dr. Leon. DR. LOUIS LEON, RECTOR, ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Let us pray.

Most gracious and eternal God, we gather here today as a grateful people who enjoy the many blessings you have bestowed on this nation. We are grateful for your vision, which inspired the founders of our nation to create this democratic experiment as one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We are grateful to you that you have brought to these shores a multitude of peoples of many ethnic, religious and language backgrounds and yet have fashioned one nation out of so many cultures and traditions.

Even as we celebrate our -- this great moment, we remember before you the members of our armed forces. We commend them to your care. Give them courage to carry out their duties and courage the face the perils which we set them, and grant them always the sense of your presence in all that they do.

Finally today, we are especially grateful for this inauguration, which marks a new beginning in our journey as a people and a nation. We pray that you will shower the elected leaders of this land and especially, George, our president, and Richard, our vice president, with your life giving spirit.

Fill them with a love of truth and righteousness that they may serve you and this nation ably and glad to do your will. Endow their hearts with your spirit of wisdom that they may lead us in renewing the ties of mutual respect which form our civic life, so that peace may prevail with righteousness and justice with order.

We pray that you will strengthen their resolve as they lead our nation seeking to serve you in this world, that this good and generous country may be a blessing to the nations of the world.

And may they lead us to become, in the words of Martin Luther King, members of a beloved community, loving our neighbors as ourselves so that all of us may more closely come to fulfill the promise of our Founding Fathers, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All this we ask in your most holy name, amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Honorable William H. Rehnquist.

BLITZER: This is a dramatic moment for everyone. The chief justice of the United States suffering from cancer. He's been undergoing major treatment here in Washington. We thought he would have to come here in a wheelchair, but he's doing it -- he's walking, as we can all see, with a cane, escorted by the U.S. military.

The chief justice will be swearing in the president in a little bit more than 15 minutes or so from now, but on his own power he's walking down. This is a very dramatic moment indeed.

He was determined to be here. He is here, the chief justice. I think this is either the fifth or sixth time he will be swearing in a president of the United States. Didn't want to miss this. And we applaud him for being strong enough to do so right now. Very important moment indeed.

GREENFIELD: This is a man who served on the Supreme Court for many years.

LOTT: And now ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce one of today's most popularly acclaimed mezzo-sopranos, Miss Susan Graham.

BLITZER: The Joe Johns said the chief justice wanted to be here, make a statement by his presidency -- by his presence and underscore the importance, the historic nature of the day.

Let's take a quick little move away from Washington out into the heartland in Clark County, Ohio. CNN's Carlos Watson is there with a group of people who are watching all of this.

Carlos, what are they saying?

CARLOS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we've got five guests, some who voted for the president, some who voted for John Kerry. Everybody is paying attention here.

I'm going to turn first to one of the people who was most active in the president's campaign here in Clark County.

Bob, tell me what you're thinking about as you watch this inauguration get underway?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm just happy that he won. I'm happy that we're here to hear him, what he's going to say. And we certainly hope that he leads us as well in the second term as he did the first term.

WATSON: Now, Sheila, you did not back the president. You instead voted for John Kerry. Do you look upon the inauguration with optimism, or do you still kind of hold back a little bit when you see the president being sworn in for a second term?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think the race is over. And I think now is just time to just respect the office, the president and move on.

WATSON: And does that mean support for some of the big issues that he's likely to talk about: Social Security and changes in some of the other things?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know support. Just depends on -- there are some things I probably couldn't agree with him on. But leadership is in his hands, and so I think that's what I have to trust in. WATSON: Teresa (ph), you and I were talking earlier about whether or not you'd even be watching this if we weren't here in this wonderful Young's Dairy restaurant near Dayton. Do you usually pay attention to events like the State of the Union and something like the inauguration?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it's something that's after a working day, I'll watch it. I'm not a big political watcher, so if there's something else going on, I might not pay attention, or I'll tape it and watch it later. But today I would not have been watching. I would have been at work, and that's where my focus would have been.

WATSON: Can the president say something here, though, to you that you think can inspire you or could change the way you think about him? Because you didn't vote for him...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.

WATSON: ... in the last. Can he say something here today in the 17-minute speech that we expect that would change the way you think about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a lot. But I agree with Sheila in that the race is over. So now I have to support the office and hope that his leadership will take us in the right direction.

WATSON: and Heidi, 20 years old, you're a college student. You supported the president strongly. Are you hoping that this president is aggressive with his political capital, as he said? Are you hoping that he will aggressively push forward on some of these initiatives, or are you hoping he'll cooperate with Democrats more and maybe build a more centrist agenda?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm definitely hoping he'll be aggressive with his agenda. He definitely earned the capital. He won the election. I think the election was a referendum on the issues that he's dealt with in the last term on the Iraq war, and I hope he continues to pursue it very much.

WATSON: Heidi, thank you very much.

Jennifer, we'll be back to talk to you and everybody else a little bit later on.

From Ohio, Wolf, that's a bit of perspective from the state that ultimately decided this election with its key 20 electoral votes.

BLITZER: That's right, Carlos. Thanks very much. Carlos Watson in Ohio. What, 60,000, 70,000, 80,000 votes had gone the other way, despite the 3.5 million or so votes nationally, this election would have turned out differently.

We're listening to Susan Graham performing at the inaugural right now. The president is listening most attentively.

Jeffrey Toobin, our senior legal analyst, who himself is an expert on the Supreme Court, writing a book on the Supreme Court right now. Jeff, we saw William Rehnquist arrive just a few moments ago. It was such a dramatic moment.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It was. And he does look rather frail. And I have to correct something I said earlier. I mistook Anthony Kennedy for William Rehnquist. From my angle, the backs of their heads look similar.

The fact is, William Rehnquist does look rather frail, although he's here. And he will administer the oath.

BLITZER: All right, Jeff. Thanks. Let's listen to Chris Dodd, who's the co-chairman with Trent Lott of this bipartisan committee.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: ... fellow citizens. The vice president of the United States will now take the oath of office. His wife, Lynne, and their daughters, Elizabeth Cheney Perry and Mary Cheney, will hold the family Bible.

I now have the honor to present the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, to administer the oath of office to the vice president, Richard Bruce Cheney.

Mr. Speaker.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Raise your hand.

I, Richard Cheney, do solemnly swear...

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

HASTERT: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

CHENEY: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

HASTERT: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...

CHENEY: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...

HASTERT: ... that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...

CHENEY: ... that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...

HASTERT: ... that I will take this obligation freely...

CHENEY: ... that I take this obligation freely...

HASTERT: ... without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion...

CHENEY: ... without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion...

HASTERT: ... and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office...

CHENEY: ... and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office...

HASTERT: ... on which I'm about to enter, so help me God.

CHENEY: ... on which I'm about to enter, so help me God.

HASTERT: Congratulations.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Miss Denise Graves to perform the American anthem.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: That was truly beautiful and sets the tone for what we're about to do.

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. Justice Rehnquist.

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

I, George Walker Bush...

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

REHNQUIST: ... 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.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to introduce the 43rd president of the United States, the honorable George W. Bush!

BUSH: Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens.

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For half a century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical. And then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability and we have seen its deepest source.

BUSH: 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)

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)

The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world. (APPLAUSE)

BUSH: America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights and dignity and matchless value, because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave.

(APPLAUSE)

Fancying these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time.

So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

(APPLAUSE)

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary.

BUSH: Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities.

And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own.

America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal, instead, is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations.

BUSH: The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it.

America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.

(APPLAUSE)

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.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right.

(APPLAUSE)

America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators. They are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed.

In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

(APPLAUSE)

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty, though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt.

Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals.

BUSH: Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals.

Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery.

(APPLAUSE)

Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world.

BUSH: All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

(APPLAUSE)

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know America sees you for who you are, the future leaders of your free country.

The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did, "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."

BUSH: The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

(APPLAUSE)

And all the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel and we depend on your help.

BUSH: Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens.

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure.

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

Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it.

By our efforts we have lit a fire as well; a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power. It burns those who fight its progress. And one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

(APPLAUSE)

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause.

BUSH: In the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy, the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments, the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies, some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives. And we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

(APPLAUSE)

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time.

I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. BUSH: You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs.

Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

(APPLAUSE)

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home: the unfinished work of American freedom.

In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

BUSH: In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence.

This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights.

And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time.

To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance, preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society.

By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

(APPLAUSE)

In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character, on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives.

BUSH: Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self.

That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people.

Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before: ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak.

Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love.

BUSH: Americans at our best value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth.

(APPLAUSE)

And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

(APPLAUSE)

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many.

BUSH: From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom.

We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes. And I will strive in good faith to heal them.

BUSH: Yet those divisions do not define America.

We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart.

And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills.

We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul.

When our founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now," they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled.

BUSH: History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the author of liberty.

(APPLAUSE)

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still.

BUSH: 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)

May God bless you, and may he watch over the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: At this time I'd like to present a very unique performance, combining the United States Marine Band, the Navy Sea Chanters and the Army Herald Trumpets performing "God of our Fathers."

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

LOTT: Please continue standing, or stand if you're not standing now, as Pastor Kirby John Caldwell will deliver the benediction. And please remain standing for the singing of all of us of our National Anthem. It will be led by Technical Sergeant Bradley Bennett from the United States Air Force Band. Following the National Anthem, please remain in place while the official party departs the platform.

Pastor Caldwell.

PASTOR KIRBY JOHN CALDWELL: Thank you, Senator Lott.

Let us pray, please. Oh, lord, god all mighty, the supply and supplier of faith and freedom, how excellent is your name in all the Earth. You are great and greatly to be praised.

Oh, god, as we conclude this 55th inaugural ceremony, we conclude it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Thank you for protecting America's borders. After all, as the psalmist reminds us, "Unless you, oh, god, guard the territory, our efforts will be in vain."

Thank you for our armed service personnel. And it is with unswerving thanksgiving that we pause to remember the persons who have made the ultimate sacrifice to help ensure America's safety.

Thank you, oh, god, for surrounding our personnel, their families, their friends and our allies with your favor and your faithfulness. Deplore your host from heaven so that your will for America will be performed on Earth as it is already perfected in heaven.

I confess that your face will shine upon the United States of America, granting us social peace and economic prosperity, particularly for the weary and the poor. I also confess, oh, god, that each American's latter days will be better than their former days. Let it be unto us, according to your word.

Rally the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Independents around your common good so that America will truly become one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all, including the least, the last, and the lost. Bless every elected official right now.

Oh, god, I declare your blessings to shower upon our president, George W. Bush. Bless him, his family, and his administration. I once again declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper.

And god, forgive us, forgive us. Forgive us for becoming so ensnarled in petty partisan politics that we miss your glory and flunk our purpose.

Deliver us from the evil one, from evil itself, and from the mere appearance of evil. Give us clean hearts so that we might have clean agendas, clean priorities and programs, and even clean financial statements.

And now, unto you, oh, God, the one who always has been, and always will be, the one king of kings, and the true power broker we glorify and honor you. Respecting persons of all faiths I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

(SINGING, "STAR SPANGLED BANNER")

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And so the president of the United States sworn in for a second term. The vice president of the United States sworn in for a second term. The second term now has begun.

The president speaking for about 20 minutes or so in those remarks, which I think it's fair to say they were pretty tough, at least the first half of the speech. If there were traditional conservatives out there thinking back on some sort of isolationist foreign policy for the United States, the president quickly ended that kind of thought by stating clearly the survival of liberty in our land, he said, increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

The reference being that he said these tyrannical regimes around the world, in his words, raise a mortal threat to the United States. Jeff Greenfield, this was pretty strong language. JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The first half of this speech is about as tough an inaugural speech as I can remember. If there is any doubt the president considers himself a wartime president, it is dispelled. By the third paragraph of this speech, September 11th has been evoked.

By the fifth paragraph he says our survival depends on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) liberty. And then in about five or ten minutes, he's directly warning outlawed regimes and tyrannies that we are going to stand against them.

I want to share a couple of lines with you. He says to democratic reformers in other countries, America sees you for who you are the future leaders of your free country. It will be interesting to see how that plays in Tehran and other places. And then he quotes Abe Lincoln that rulers of outlaw regimes saying if you do not (UNINTELLIGIBLE) freedom to others, you don't deserve it for yourselves.

And under the rule of a just god cannot long retain it. This speech in the first half is a flat-out declaration that everything he said since September 11th he is doubling and redoubling. We are going to try to use everything we can -- he says our considerable influence -- to expand democracy and freedom in the world and to challenge regimes that deny it to others.

BLITZER: It seemed, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), as we look at the former president of the United States and Senator Clinton leaving this podium; it seems that the president was addressing the world community in the first half of that speech more than he was addressing the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Wolf, I'm not sure he was addressing the world community as much as he was addressing those who were behind bars who couldn't hear him today in the world community. But they will indeed hear his message. I think that's what the President was addressing.

To address something Jeff talked about, the beginning of this speech I didn't think was tough, I thought it was a stern. I thought it was a wonderful blend of Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy when he talks about what democracy and freedom mean to human dignity and for liberty on earth. That's what he talked about.

You put your finger Jeff on the right sentence. And that was when he talked about America sees you for how are future leaders of the free country. I think he was talking about the second nation of the axis of evil. That's Iran and also North Korea. He coined that phrase axis of evil and he thinks about those people who want to be free principally (ph) in those countries but everywhere around the world.

BLITZER: Barbara Kellerman of Harvard University, what were you thinking when you heard the President deliver this speech?

BARBARA KELLERMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: well, I think, wolf, I noticed my two predecessors have focused on the first half. It is absolutely the stronger half and I think we can make a clear distinction here. I would point to three things in particular. One is a statement of purpose where he says so it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements in every nation and culture.

The ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. Second, he makes the point of a clear comparison with communism. Very important. We're in a multigenerational long-term fight here for peace and liberty around the world.

And third, finally, for the moment, I was struck by the language, repeated use of the word slavery. Repeated use of the word tyranny. Reference to bullies. Particularly singling out women's rights. So this first half of the speech was clear, moral, purpose and, make no mistake about it.

BLITZER: What he said at beginning of the speech 9/11, he called a day of fire in this country. It was a day of fire. Anderson Cooper is down there on the Washington Mall with a lot of the people who were watching. Anderson, what are they saying?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of people watching, very attentively over the last several hours. A lot of people came here very early in the morning. I have a couple people here who have been watching. Amy, you're from Ohio. And Laura?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lori from Ohio also.

COOPER: Why did you want to come here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just really supported President Bush. Ohio was such an important state. We just thought it was historical. We're best friends. We thought it would be a fun road trip.

COOPER: You knitted these scarves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I sewed them, yes. This is W. For George W. In Ohio. Somebody thought it was Wisconsin but we educated them.

COOPER: You said it's great to see so many young people our here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes young people because that's our future, but it's great to see a lot of teenagers. We're both moms and we have teenagers, so passing on the history and all the -- everything with it.

COOPER: Two of those teenagers are right here, sophomores at G.W. Your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Jordan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Jennifer. COOPER: Why did you come? You're a Democrat. I won't say it too loudly so you don't get hurt in this crowd, but why did you want to come?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a Democrat but I go to school here at G.W. So it's not really an event you can pass up if you can get in.

COOPER: You feel like you're seeing history?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do. I really do.

COOPER: Is it a bittersweet day for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's bittersweet. Obviously I didn't vote for the man. I'd like to see someone else up there today but it's nice to be here and see it happen.

COOPER: You did vote for the president. And not a bittersweet day for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no. It's very exciting. I've never been to an inauguration before. This is incredibly exciting.

COOPER: What's it actually like being here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's such a great experience because everyone from all over the country is right here and watching history. This is something that's been going on for centuries. It's history. So it's so exciting.

COOPER: Could you actually even see the president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not at all. I couldn't even seat jumbotron. But it was still an exciting experience.

COOPER: And everybody here in this group. Could any of you here seat president? No? But was it still worth it coming? I heard you saying while he was speaking, you kept saying, excellent speech.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. All the time. Because I campaigned for the president and he's a triumphant leader who understands what it takes to defeat terrorists. I wish him all the best and he's going to be a great president for the next four years.

COOPER: All right. Well quick sampling of opinion here in the crowd. This crowd on the mall, Wolf, were people who were invited. They had invitations. A lot of them had done work for the campaign and so they were very happy to see their man taking the oath of office, witnessing history.

BLITZER: Anderson thanks very much.

We're standing by. The president momentarily will be signing some documents. It's just a formal nomination process for members of his cabinet. We have cameras there, as you can see. We'll go there and see the president do that. Our John King is on the podium still right now. John, based on my personal experience, that podium empties out rather quickly. How you doing right now?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has emptied out rather quickly. You can see the crowd is filling out, many of them going into the capitol for receptions. Many of the Bush supporters who are up here in the VIP section are looking forward to a day of parties. First some luncheon receptions, then of course the inaugural ball is tonight. They are all very much enjoying the ceremonies.

It is a remarkable event. I can still see down below me Senator John Kerry in good spirits. You can you tell he's getting a ribbing from some Republican members of Congress down there on the podium as he exits. But he's in good spirits on the inauguration of the man he had hoped to defeat in the election past.

One quick remark on the speech. Aides had promised such a speech very broad brush. The President for example did not say "Iraq" obviously a key issue and an issue many believe holding down his numbers in the polls right now because of the violent insurgency. The President talking about the power of liberty.

Many of course will now say will he be as tough when he comes to holding dissidents. Other governments in the world? Will he be as tough with Russia? Will he be as tough with China? Will he be as tough with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as he is with say Iraq, Iran and Syria?

So the president laying out his vision for the second four years here. But short on details. Many will listen to the speech today and see if he follows up on it in the challenging weeks and months ahead.

BLITZER: All right John. John, let me tell our viewers what we're seeing. This is really a photo opportunity. Not much after signing ceremony. They'll do that privately, I take it. The president with the leaders of the U.S. Congress, Senator Frist, the senate majority leader, the speaker Dennis Hastert.

The others who were members of the bipartisan joint congressional committee on inaugural activities. It's gone very, very smoothly so far. We appreciate that very much, Jeff Greenfield, when you think what could have been, so far it's going rather, rather well.

GREENFIELD: Well, the president is definitely in character by obviously starting his speech about two minutes early. Just one quick word about the second half of the speech which none of us have yet addressed. It occurred to a couple of us here this was almost two different speeches.

When the president turned toward home, the potential (ph) strength of that first part aimed squarely at leaders of outlaw regimes and in effect, warning them to cut it out, is replaced by what I would consider, if I may, kind of modular inaugural language. Let's invest in the cause better then themselves is one paragraph talking about the ownership society moving away from government-based programs. But it's basically a kind of generic call that we should be better people. And the contrast to me between the first half of the speech, which really is a -- I don't mean this in a specific -- a militant speech, aimed at what he considers the enemies of freedom and dangerous to our threats. And the second half of the speech is striking to me.

BLITZER: When I said everything has gone very smoothly, I'll have a little footnote to that. Ari (ph), you'll remember this. Four years ago there was an individual named Richard Weaver, of the so- called handshake man who eluded law enforcement, actually got very, very close to the president. You remember that? Four years ago.

We're showing our viewers that picture. He presented the president with a coin. He got through security. He was not supposed to do that. Remind our viewers what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well you are exactly right Wolf. Four years ago -- in the heart of all the layers upon layers upon layers of security -- this gentleman got himself through somehow to a place where he was not supposed to be. He was a harmless fellow, but he shouldn't have been there.

He handed the president a small little coin. It was a commemoration that he wanted to give to the president. He did that four years ago. And he didn't it this year. They nabbed him.

BLITZER: Let's tell our viewers. The Capitol Hill Police Chief, Terrance Dainer (ph), has informed reporters that only a little while ago this Richard Weaver was arrested as he attempted to pass through a checkpoint at 1st Street Southwest and Independence Avenue. He was arrested. Apparently wanted to try to do the same thing.

Not a big deal, but law enforcement clearly aware of what happened four years ago. Not taking any chances at all this time around. Our coverage, including more coverage of the speech and the next activities on this historic day, will continue right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Your looking at live pictures of Washington, D.C., the crowds beginning to thin out as the next chapter in this historic day unwinds. We're watching the inauguration of the president, the President and First Lady, others walking towards Statuary Hall in the U.S. capitol for the traditional lunch following the swearing-in ceremony.

That will be followed by the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Paula Zahn is up on Capitol Hill with David Gergen (ph). I'm anxious for both of you to weigh in on what you thought of the president's speech. PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think from what you and Jeff said earlier, David and I will amplify this. This was obviously an important speech and the president made very clear where his international priorities lied.

If you were looking for any clues as to what he was going to specifically push for in a second term domestically, I'm not sure we got that footprint today. I'm not sure we understand to what extent the president thinks he owes the public an opportunity to heal some of these wounds that we've seen from this very fractious election.

DAVID GERGEN: I agree Paula. Paula it strikes me that this is a speech that needs to be read more than once to let its full import sink in. It was both a surprising speech and an historically significant speech. Surprising in this sense.

We all came here today thinking that the emphasis in his second term would be on his domestic agenda starting with Social Security and tax reform, and that he very much wanted to heal the wounds of the country. Quite the reverse. His first priority is clearly the war on terrorism and an expansive, aggressive war on terrorism.

His second priority is his domestic legislation. And third, oh, by the way, is trying to heal the divisions in a country, very different from what we thought. Historically significant because I think he's revealed to us today the -- his strategy to win the war on terrorism is far more ambitious than we ever imagined.

It's not simply going after Iraq and getting rid of Saddam, nor is it simply going after al-Qaeda. It is rather to expand and extend liberty across much of the world. No other American president has ever committed himself in an inaugural as fully as this.

That kind of aggressive, foreign policy, one thinks back to the first inaugural, George Washington talked about the sacred fire of liberty. But he talked about liberty here at home. Thomas Jefferson, his inaugural warned us against entangling alliances. Then you move up to Kennedy, much later, and he's talking about defending freedom from those who would take it away.

That's not what George W. Bush is talking about. He's talking about America going abroad and expanding freedom, extending freedom. I thought that Jeff Greenfield's analysis right from the beginning right out of the box was exactly right.

This is a very important speech and one that I think sets America on a new course. Whether he can take us there, whether he can bring the Congress along and persuade allies is another matter. But it's a very aggressive stance.

ZAHN: And I think the president revealed something a week ago when he did an interview with somebody and he basically said, this is not going to be the kind of speech that prompts cheers. Although we sort of casually counted here, and we think he got up to some sort of 30 applause lines. But he wanted historians to pronounce this speech memorable. And I know you say if history is any guide, very few second inaugural speeches are memorable. But do you think there are lines in this speech that we will be quoting 10, 20, 30 years down the road?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he chose not to employ the lyrical poetry of say, Lincoln. He's too plainspoken for that. There were few memorable lines. I thought that the one to go back, to what Jeff and Wolf alluded to before. The important line is the survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends upon the success of liberty in other lands.

That's not a memorable line. But it's important as a different understanding, because we've never believed that here in America. We've always said -- had the sense of live and let live. If you attack somebody, we're going to help defend them maybe, but we're not going to care a whole lot about how you live in your own country.

This is a very different commitment on the part of a president of the United States. I think that is what will live on in memory.

ZAHN: Briefly, Wolf, before we go back to you, our Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here. We want to apologize once again. At earlier out of our broadcast, we were looking at what was happening behind us at a very odd angle. In fact, who we thought was Chief Rehnquist was indeed Justice Kennedy.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The buck stops here with that mistake. It was my mistake. Chief Justice Rehnquist' appearance was so memorable because it was -- he was so weak. He came in very briefly. He left before President Bush gave his speech.

He looks weak and sick and there are only two presidents in the last 100 years who have not appointed a justice to the Supreme Court, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. I expect that will not be true for too much longer.

ZAHN: All right, Wolf.

BLITZER: Paula, thanks very much. Jeffrey, thanks to you. And David as well. Candy Crowley is inside the Rotunda now. You've been seeing them all get ready, moving over to Statuary Hall. That's the other picture we're seeing right now for the luncheon. All the dignitaries will be gathered inside for this lunch luncheon. From your vantage point Candy, what are you seeing? What's been happening?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been great people watching at a high level. Former President Clinton, everyone you saw out there of note came in here. The first thing that happens is Ronald Reagan was the first president to go into what they called the president's room, which is off the Rotunda where we are where the House meets the Senate.

And Ronald Reagan went in there and formally handed over his nominees for the cabinet to Congress. Now obviously, President Bush has already done that. But nonetheless, he went into the president's room where they were going to have a photo op, some sort of ceremony in there.

Then they have this lunch, which is a combination of the former presidents, old friends, family, and -- but they only have it slated for about an hour. There is a presentation of gifts. It's a formal luncheon. It's a bipartisan luncheon. The way things are going -- and some comments I've heard from people who walk through here and I talk to them, Democrats and Republicans, going to and rough go for George Bush.

He is not going to get any kind of ease into the second term. The Republicans here feel very much that the Democrats are loaded for bear, that they've made a decision that they are going to be very strong in their opposition to George Bush. That the Senate may be where the Democrats reshape themselves. So we are looking at a very rough, so far, congressional term for George Bush.

BLITZER: Basically, has everybody passed through the Rotunda already, Candy, who is heading over to Statuary Hall for the luncheon?

CROWLEY: They're still coming. Statuary Hall is right off the Rotunda. So they are still coming in. I think everybody that's going to be here for the luncheon is in and getting around in their seats. But people are still coming off the front of the Capitol.

BLITZER: Maybe they'll let you in to get a bite to eat too, Candy.

CROWLEY: Sure!

BLITZER: The delicious menu they're having. We'll try to find out what they're serving and share it with our viewers. Judy Woodruff is on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue right outside the White House. That's where the parade reviewing (ph) stand has already been established. The President and the entourage will be there. Judy, I'm anxious to get your thoughts on the President's speech.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I've been listening to all of you. And certainly the universal assessment that this is an aggressive, even a militant statement by the president, I think everyone can agree with it.

Just strikes me once again that this is a president who is much more a man of action than he is a man of words. Certainly words matter to any president. But George w. Bush has never been one to stand still. He's never happier, never feeling more fulfilled than when he's moving, when he's acting.

You see it I think it's coming through in this speech. I keep looking back, Wolf, at the line, again, the reference to Abraham Lincoln, those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves and under the rule of a just god cannot long retain it.

Whether it's the leader of Iran, or the leaders of china, or move over to the African continent, Zimbabwe, many number of countries where you don't have democracy, where the leadership runs the country pretty much as they see fit. You could say this is a president throwing down the gauntlet to those leaders. So I think there is a lot to chew over in this speech. And we'll be very interested to hear the reaction.

BLITZER: I suspect these words, Judy, also, will resonate around the world, especially in some of the more totalitarian regimes, when the president said, quote, America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies. Powerful words that I'm sure will be heard around the world.

WOODRUFF: If anyone thought, Wolf, that George W. Bush was going to begin a second term with a conciliatory tone, and surely we have heard him say in the last few days that he's interested in doing business with the Europeans. We know there have been tense moments, and more than that, with the French, with the Germans and others.

This speech sends I think a very loud signal that the president is full-steam ahead. He believes what he believes, and that's the way it is.

BLITZER: It's going to be an ambitious foreign policy clearly based on what the president enunciated only minutes ago.

I want to set the scene with our viewers, what they're seeing now. This is Statuary Hall inside the U.S. capitol. The luncheon is about to begin. Ruffles and flourishes shortly will occur. The President will be introduced as he walks in.

We'll see the beginning part of this luncheon and then they'll politely ask the cameras to leave their lunch, and let them have their lunch in peace and quiet. We'll continue to watch all the other activities. You want to add anything, Jeffrey?

GREENFIELD: I want to go back to the dilemma that a lot of people have been looking about really ever since September 11th. Right after 9/11, Pakistan with which we'd had some very tough words, became an ally in an effort to go after the Taliban.

Pakistan is not a free country. The president used to assail when he was running in 2000 Russia for its treatment of Chechnya. Very quickly after Chechnya became terrorist and Putin became one of our best friends.

When the President talks about the oppression of women, the government of Saudi Arabia is not exactly known for its fine treatment of women. It's also the principal source of our foreign oil and a country we rely on a lot in terms of Middle East policy.

The translating these tough words into policy I believe is an old saying, the devil is in the details. That's going to be a rather interesting challenge for the President in his second term to put these words into play and policies.

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Aired January 20, 2005 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know if David Gergen can hear me, but I'll ask the same question to Jeff Greenfield.
Why did this President Bush get reelected and his father didn't get reelected?

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST: I think there were two fundamental reasons. The first was 9/11. In the wake of the worst terrorist attack in American history, the president was able to make the argument that whatever -- whatever you disagreed with him about in other normal times, you had to make the judgment of who could keep America safer. And whatever people felt about Iraq -- there was a lot of discontent about that -- they felt that that -- on that issue the president was stronger.

The second was -- had, in my view, nothing to do with issues. There is a connection between this George Bush and the public in personal terms that the first George Bush never established. An ease, a kind of comfort level that people have with him. Even his adversaries.

You have Bill Clinton saying he likes George Bush, something most people in this party might find astonishing. And I think that those two things together were, at least in my view, the two dominant factors that made the difference.

ARI FLEISCHER, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: One other big issue, and that's the economy. His father had a terrible economy, at least as it was perceived going into the election. This president had an economy that actually was starting to move up. Two million jobs were created in 2004.

So the times are different. The economy is very different. The feeling of the country very different.

BARBARA KELLERMAN: Yes, I would like to throw another element into this hopper, which is the psyche of the incumbent. This is a man of fierce determination. I'm not implying the father was not determined, but the level of ambition and the ferocity of determination I think was clearly stronger in 43 than in 41.

BLITZER: David Gergen, did you hear me?

DAVID GERGEN: Yes, I did, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to -- I'm really anxious for you to weigh in on this subject, why father could not do what son has done.

GERGEN: Well, I want to follow up on something Jeff Greenfield said, if I might. And that is, the father, I believe, was a better diplomat than the son. But the son is a better politician.

He's very shrewd, he does connect with the country well, with the public well. Democratic senators told me recently he had been talking to former President Clinton. And Bill Clinton told him, you know, he was -- he's happy that back in 1992, when he ran for the presidency, he ran against the father and not the son, because the son would have been a much tougher opponent.

But that does bring up another interesting aspect of this, Wolf, another interesting relationship here on this podium. And that is the growing friendship between the father and Bill Clinton.

You know, they -- because they ran against each other in '92, they were quite distant for a long time. But this -- this -- working together on tsunami relief and other things have started bringing them together so that President Bush, papa Bush was just in the Clinton Library a couple days ago cutting some public service spots. And I understand that relationship has really warmed and they have a lot of respect for each another.

BLITZER: And they're both sort of likable kinds of guys, down to earth, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. And the argument, Ari Fleischer, was that the father was perhaps a little bit more elitist, someone you didn't necessarily want to go out and watch a football game with.

FLEISCHER: Well, I think that 43 really does strike that cord with the average person out there. And when I talked about ESPN Radio, the fact is he does like to go back to the residence at night and watch baseball tonight. He's a regular guy in that sense, and I think it makes it easier for people to identify.

But you still have to win on ideas and issues. And that has to come first. Because you can be likable and lose.

GREENFIELD: Right.

FLEISCHER: But he was likeable and he had good issues.

GREENFIELD: In fairness to the other party, we should also point out that George W. Bush had one great advantage that his father didn't. He didn't have to run against Bill Clinton.

FLEISCHER: That's a very good point.

BLITZER: Bill Clinton was a master politician. Clearly a lot better at that, at running for president than John Kerry.

And Paula Zahn, as we look at some of the people that are already there, John Kerry right in the middle of the activity over there. He doesn't seem to be far away from his old friend, fellow Vietnam War veteran John McCain. It's certainly a moment that I'm sure he's saying to himself, you know, I got close but not close enough.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And as you know, he and John McCain share a very close personal relationship. It is so very difficult from where we're sitting to gauge how this crowd is really reacting to John Kerry.

We thought we had heard what were sort of sustained boos when John Kerry first entered. This has got to be a very tough time for him. But it has also become quite clear from movement and strategies we have seen coming from his office this is a man who is not giving up hope of becoming president some day. You know, you talk to anybody in his Boston office and they'll say he is really looking at a long-term plan, how to shape legislation that might get him there.

BLITZER: All right. Here he is, the former president of the United States. Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the 42nd president of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton and Senator Clinton.

BLITZER: This is a moment, Jeff Greenfield, that this former president of the United States deeply appreciates, having himself gone through it twice.

GREENFIELD: Yes. And as I say, I think the comments that the president has made -- at one point in the campaign he said, "I may be the only American that likes both John Kerry and George W. Bush."

I think any -- any member of this club -- you talked about friendship between the first President Bush and Clinton. President Ford and President Carter developed a strong friendship after they were both out of office. And I -- you can sort of understand why.

None of us I think has any sense of what kind of burden those people have. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I think you definitely see on that platform right now at least one person that some people think might be eyeing that podium four years from now, and that's Mrs. Clinton.

FLEISCHER: Think about this: we've had 43 presidents in our history. Only 16 of them have gotten to do this twice. It is not easy to be re-elected as president. President Clinton has done it, and President George W. Bush have done it.

BLITZER: We're still standing by for the arrival of the vice president of the United States, the arrival of the president of the United States. There's Condoleezza Rice. She's about to be confirmed as the next secretary of state, but not necessarily today. Maybe it will take a few more days before all is said and done.

We'll take a quick break. More of our special coverage of this inauguration right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's go back up to the podium right now. We're only, what, 15 minutes or so away from the formal swearing in of the president. John King has a special guest -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I'm here now with the Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Governor, thank you for joining us today. We were talking a minute ago about the challenge you think the president faces today. What do you think is the number one challenge?

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, I think that right now is challenge is to give a good speech, to be inspirational, to rally up the people in America and to let them know what the next four years is all about. And, of course, he's going to address that also in his State of the Union Address.

But I think this is a very special moment. I mean, especially for an immigrant like myself, who has watched every inauguration since I came to America, to watch this live here and to be at this great spot, and to represent the state of California.

So I'm very excited. And I think this is a new beginning. It is like another four years of starting. So I think it's going to be great. I'm very optimistic.

KING: You represent a state, as you know, California, that was not with the president. The country is still divided in many ways. What does he have to do at this moment?

SCHWARZENEGGER: Well, I think the obvious, to try to bring people together. And I think that the president has spoken about that he wants to bring the country together, he wants to bring the world together, he wants everyone to participate. Because, you know, we are one world and we have common interests. And I think that he's going to fight for that.

KING: There are some people who are trying to amend the Constitution of this country so a guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger might be able to run for president of the United States. As you look out at this moment, is that something in your mind?

SCHWARZENEGGER: No comment.

KING: No comment?

SCHWARZENEGGER: I'm only interested in one thing, and this is to fix California. That's what I was elected to do.

KING: But you're a young man. After that?

SCHWARZENEGGER: There's many, many challenges ahead of us.

KING: Governor, thank you for your time today.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Thank you very much. Good to see you. Thank you.

KING: Enjoy the moment. Take care. All right.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Hey, John, I see you've got another governor right near you, the governor of New York State, George Pataki. Maybe he wants to join you and get some thoughts from him as well. Do you see him right in front of you?

KING: Let me walk right down. Wolf, I'm with the class of 2008 here. All the governors here, George Pataki here, as well as Governor Schwarzenegger.

Governor, just wondering if I could sneak in here for a second and get your thoughts at this moment.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: Well, it's obviously an emotional day, a patriotic day, when people from across the country and from every political part of the American spectrum are here honoring our president.

KING: Are the governors' class here? You looking around and swapping notes on who might be going to Iowa or New Hampshire pretty soon?

PATAKI: Governor (UNINTELLIGIBLE), they're all tremendous people. Great leaders.

KING: As you look at this scene, sir, a lot of people think George Pataki might be somebody interested in running for president a little bit down the road.

PATAKI: Right now I just want to hear the president give a great speech...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He'd do a tremendous job. Tremendous.

PATAKI: ... and do a tremendous job.

KING: The governors are having a bit of fun up here. You come from a state, sir -- I've been asking this. I asked Mayor Giuliani, I just asked Governor Schwarzenegger. You come from a state, of course, where you deal with Democrats in the legislature. You are -- the Democrats outnumber Republicans.

What's the president's challenge in addressing the country today?

PATAKI: Well, I think the president has provided tremendous leadership. And that's why he was reelected. And I think Republicans and Democrats want that same strength in the face of the war against terror. And I think they also want to see a bipartisan approach.

And certainly that's what President Bush did when he was governor of Texas. It's what he did try -- try to do during his first term. And I'm confident the president will again reach across the aisle to all Americans to make sure we stand united as we face real challenges ahead of us. KING: One quick last question. It's the first inaugural since 9/11, obviously, which hit your state so hard. The security is overwhelming. Some say almost too much. Is that a sad footnote?

PATAKI: Well, it's very different from what it was four years ago. But it just reflects the realities of the world we live in today.

And I think the American people understand it, put up with it, tolerate it, because until the war against terror is behind us, it's just what we have to do. And for all that, you can see tens of thousands of people here celebrating America and celebrating this president's inaugural. And I'm excited about it.

KING: It's a beautiful day.

PATAKI: Beautiful.

KING: Governor, thank you for your time.

PATAKI: Thank you.

KING: Take care.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. John, thanks very much. Thank the two governors, New York State and California.

The former president, George Herbert Walker Bush, and Barbara Bush, they're about to be introduced. They're walking down these stairs right now with the presidential daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, as well. They will be walking inside.

It's a moment for all of the country to observe. But let's not forget that this is a time when the United States remains at war, specifically in Iraq. And U.S. troops, about 150,000 of them, remain very much in harm's way at this moment.

Our Christiane Amanpour is in Baghdad. Only a little bit more than a week from now there will be elections in Iraq.

Christiane, set the scene a little bit for us, the mood there as they watch this inauguration of the president.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mood here, as you can imagine, is very different from what we have been hearing from your guests and those around the inauguration ceremonies in the United States. We were talking to several people today, certainly here in Baghdad, asking them precisely about this moment. And they said, "To be honest with you, we here, we're not really concerned by whether President Bush is going into his second or even his third term. What we're concerned about are the promises he made to us when this country was liberated by Saddam."

"What about rebuilding? What about bare essentials? What about peace and security?" Things that the Iraqi people are still waiting for.

There has been a dramatic upsurge in violence over the last several months. Just yesterday, one of the bloodiest days in the last couple of months, certainly. Twenty-six people killed in a series of suicide bombs. People looking toward the elections and wondering just how that will change their daily lives.

The president's most wanted here in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, today an audio recording of him saying that they were in this for the long haul. Whether it took months or years, they were going to wage, he said, a holy war.

U.S. commanders here admitting that their key exit strategy is not yet ready. In other words, to get a proper Iraqi armed forces, police, National Guard up to take over the security tasks of this. And looking towards the elections, a key moment because Iraqis have never had the ability to vote properly and freely. And they're certainly look forward to doing it. But if a huge bulk of the population, the Sunnis, which make up 20 percent of the population, doesn't vote, that will inevitably, according to people here, cause certainly a question about the legitimacy of those elections and cause this whole political system to continue to come under challenge, to come under a lot of pressure.

In addition, problems with the whole moral concept still. Those terrible images from Abu Ghraib about prisoner abuse, and now the British images about prisoner abuse are still seared into people's memories. So I think, you know, people are hoping very much for something good to happen on January 30, their elections, but wondering just what and just how.

BLITZER: All right. Let's listen to the introduction of the former president of the United States and Mrs. Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, what a nice welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 41st president of the United States, George Bush and Barbara Bush, accompanied by the daughters of President George W. Bush, Jenna and Barbara Bush.

BLITZER: The proud parents of the president of the United States on this very, very special day introduced to the dignitaries who have gathered on the podium, joined by their granddaughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, looking lovely, as they always do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Guy Hovis.

BLITZER: Jeff Greenfield, as we watch this, Christiane made some important points, not to forget this is a time of war for the United States.

GREENFIELD: It is. And I think you're going to hear that echoed in the president's remarks. It is also a time when this administration, having gotten a second term, immediately it is facing as hard a series of challenges in that country as you could imagine.

The election in Iraq is scheduled for, what, barely 10 days from now. And the big question that the president and his administration will have to face is, yes, and then what? Will there be a government that asks the United States to leave? And if they ask us to leave, does the United States leave if it believes this government cannot keep order in Iraq, cannot bring stability to Iraq? What happens if the country appears to be dissolving into an ethnic civil war?

So the idea that we have this moment, this day that we celebrate, an inaugural, when partisan and other kinds of ideological debates are put aside, can't conceal the fact that almost as soon as this inauguration is over, the president and his administration are going to face possibly the hardest challenge that they will have yet faced: what to do next.

BLITZER: And there's the first lady of the United States, Laura Bush, walking in. One of the most popular first ladies, I suspect, in many, many years, Barbara Kellerman. Whether or not you're a Democrat or a Republican, I think it's fair to say most Americans like Barbara -- like Laura Bush a lot.

KELLERMAN: They like Barbara Bush, too, but they -- they particularly like Laura. But the point I would actually make about Laura is not the response she evokes from the American people, but the incredibly important role she's played in the life of her husband.

It's clear that the marriage has been strong. Almost uninterruptedly from the start, with some concern at some earlier period about his drinking. She played a strong role in getting him to quit forever. And since he's been in the White House, she has been at his side and manifestly been a strong emotional, as well as political support to George W. Bush.

BLITZER: You saw the relationship, Ari Fleischer, up close, the relationship between the president and Mrs. Bush. It's a very, very strong relationship.

FLEISCHER: It's strong, Wolf, and it's informal. There's just a camaraderie, just a companionship, a sense of ease watching the two of them, whether it's in the Oval Office or in the residence or in the car. They just both have this wonderful sense of being down to earth, and I think one brings out the down to earth in the other.

GREENFIELD: She also helps in another way. And that is, people who are inclined to hold the president, as they say here, in minimum high regard, you look at Laura Bush, who's clearly a well read woman, a librarian by occupation, someone who celebrated American literature while she was in the White House, and also no doormat.

And you say, well, if the president -- if she's OK with him, and he was smart enough to pick her, he benefits from that. He actually -- you know, he always jokes about it, you know, "I married above myself." But in a sense, it's a way and a fact of disarming some of his critics who want to see the president in very critical terms. You say, well, how bad can he be if this -- if this really admirable, well read, sweet, but tough woman, decided that this is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with? I'm not suggesting it's calculated in any sense. But it happens to be a benefit.

BLITZER: The two women we were just -- we just saw in the white overcoats, Liz Cheney and Mary Cheney, the daughters -- there they are -- the daughters of the vice president. Liz Cheney on the left, Mary Cheney on the right. They are there to celebrate the inauguration, I guess, the swearing in of the vice president of the United States.

And Barbara, let's not forget, Dick Cheney has been an incredibly influential, powerful vice president. The House speaker, Dennis Hastert, will swear him in for a second term today, as well.

KELLERMAN: Well, what's interesting, Wolf, is that he's generally associated with being kind of a strong adviser, particularly in the domain of foreign policy. But as we have recently been reading, this is a man that is -- Vice President Dick Cheney -- who is absolutely as intent on supporting the president in his aggressive domestic policy agenda. So if Iraq is somewhat quiescent in the coming months, I think we're going to see Dick Cheney transfer his own attention from the foreign policy arena to the domestic policy arena.

GREENFIELD: He is also the first vice president in perhaps half a century with no presidential ambition. And because of that, I suspect it is one of the reasons why he's one of the most powerful vice presidents in history. Not only inside the White House, Ari, which you know a little bit, but there's no backbiting from presidential wannabes in the Republican Party because they don't see him as a rival.

FLEISCHER: Well, let me -- let me tell you a little story. Because the day that Governor Bush, then Governor Bush, selected Dick Cheney to be his running mate, Dick Cheney was downstairs at the governor's mansion on "LARRY KING LIVE." And I was upstairs in the governor's mansion and a commercial came on.

And the governor turned to me and he said, "Just you watch. At some point in my administration there will be a crisis, and Dick Cheney is exactly the type of man you want at your side when a crisis hits."

So he picked Dick Cheney because he thought it was a governing pick, not a political pick to get Wyoming, even though we needed their three electoral votes. It was a real governing selection, and he wanted a good adviser.

BLITZER: He picked Lynne Cheney, as well, in effect. He got Dick Cheney. He also got Lynne Cheney, who is no shrinking violate in her own right. There she is. She's walking in.

She's being - she has been introduced. She'll be joining the fellow dignitaries on that podium.

Yes, Jeff? GREENFIELD: I was just wondering if there's any other former "CROSSFIRE" host who will be on the inaugural platform, Wolf.

BLITZER: I don't think Pat Buchanan is going to be up there, at least anytime soon.

There he is, George Herbert Walker Bush. I guess on this day he's simply the proud papa in the -- and standing, talking to his granddaughter as well.

KELLERMAN: I just want to say, Wolf, that Lynne Cheney is a formidable power in her own right. She's held strong positions in government. But she also, to her intellectual credit, has a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin. So Dick Cheney married his match when he married Lynne Cheney.

BLITZER: They're about to introduce Laura Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Mrs. Laura Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Paula Zahn, you're right across from the podium over there. You're watching all of this. I'm anxious for you to weigh in a little bit. You have a bird's eye view. Set the scene for us from there.

ZAHN: Well, I think the one thing that has struck us as we sat here, besides the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of all the family members, is the appearance of the chief justice of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist. There has been so much speculation about his health, concern about his health. And we have all been led to believe today we could get some very clear indicators about what his status is.

He has been standing up for the last 40 minutes or so. He will be administering the oath of office. And what is critical about this is there has not been a Supreme Court appointment for 10 years, which is, what, Jeffrey Toobin, the largest gap we have seen since the 1820s.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's right. It's really an extraordinary moment in Supreme Court history. This court, these nine justices have been together for a decade. And that hasn't happened since the 1820s.

But I have been looking at the chief, Chief Justice Rehnquist, for the past half an hour or so. And I have really been struck by how good he looks. This is a man who's had a tracheotomy. This is a man who's fighting an extremely serious form of cancer.

He's been shouting (ph) easily. He's been standing up. He's been sitting down. He really -- unless you knew he was sick, you would not notice any difference from really four years ago.

ZAHN: And I suppose, David Gergen, there are a lot of people hoping in the White House for all of the right reasons that his health will hold. But if it had not, the president could have a really big challenge.

Your feeling is that, in order for him to get his legislative agenda through, given all the bitter divisions in Congress -- and he had to put up now with a serious fight in the Supreme Court -- this could make his second term incredibly difficult.

GERGEN: That's exactly right, Paula. I think that the president's interest is for the court to stay intact for another year while he can concentrate on his domestic agenda and the Congress.

The president is very anxious to get his Social Security package passed this coming year. He feels if he doesn't pass it this coming year, it may well not pass at all. And he wants to move ahead on tax reform.

If you had a Supreme Court fight that comes up during the year, it will be a huge diversion of energy and attention. It might -- it might -- and it would threaten his Social Security reform. So I think it is good news for him that the chief justice appears more fit today.

And I think that what his hope would be, he could sequence these things. That he could get Social Security done this year, go get his domestic legislation. Then do the Supreme Court, and then come back to foreign policy and perhaps deal with Iran and North Korea on perhaps a more forceful way toward the end of his first term.

That's the way a guy like Karl Rove would think. You have to sequence things in order to get them done.

ZAHN: We are waiting for the vice president to walk down the aisle to where his family will be seated. Of course preceded by the rest of his family.

I don't think we want to read too much into the appearance of Chief Rehnquist because none of us has any sort of inside line on exactly how he's doing. But I was just surprised given what John King described earlier about all the questions that would be asked, how to get him into the building, how to sort of lessen the wear and tear on him, that he's been standing up for the most part over the last 45 minutes.

TOOBIN: And today is a fairly temperate day, but it is not -- it's not balmy. And it's not easy to do what he's doing.

GERGEN: And the sun is finally coming out.

ZAHN: Oh, yippee!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inaugural coordinator for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Laura Nell Mitchell (ph).

Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms, Keith Kennedy (ph). House Deputy Sergeant at Arms, Kerry Hanly (ph). Senator William H. Frist. Representative Tom DeLay.

Ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the United States, Richard Cheney.

BLITZER: The vice president having been introduced. The only other person we're still awaiting arrival, that would be the president of the United States. That will be momentarily.

The president will be introduced. Ruffles and flourishes, the herald trumpets, the traditional announcement that the president of the United States has arrived. They are pretty much on schedule. Maybe a minute or two behind schedule, but there is plenty of padding to enable everyone to make sure that at 12:00 noon the swearing in ceremony will take place.

This is a moment. As we watch the pomp and circumstance, Ari Fleischer, what goes through your mind right now I'm sure is the historic significance. And we're watching the president begin to make the approach towards that podium.

FLEISCHER: Well, I think historic significance because this is part of our democratic tradition that keeps us free, regardless of who wins our elections. We are one people, especially on day like today.

But the other thing, Wolf, for much of the nation, 52 percent of the nation, it's a real feeling of internal jubilation. And I think for 48 percent of the nation or so, it's a real feeling of despair, a terrible sadness.

GREENFIELD: In fact...

FLEISCHER: These are the times we live in. And when you win, you really look back and you look at the day and you savor it. When you lose, you don't want to watch.

GREENFIELD: Remember John Kennedy began his famous inaugural by saying we observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom. A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll today said that 70 percent of the country thinks it's a political victory more than a broader celebration.

There are an awful lot of people in Washington of the Democratic persuasion who are elsewhere today and not in the nation's capital.

BLITZER: The president is being accompanied, as you can see, behind him. That's Chris Dodd, the Democrat from Connecticut, Trent Lott, the Republican from Mississippi. They're the co-chairmen of this joint -- this joint inaugural committee.

The speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert, walking right behind them.

And to our viewers around the world, especially, shall we say, in countries that are less than democratic, this is a reflection of the fact that yes, there's a bitter political debate that unfolds, a bitter election, but when all is said and done, the dust settles. Everyone, all the political leaders gather at the same spot here in the nation's capital to underscore that government continues and that the bitterness, at least on this one day, Barbara, has gone away. BARBARA KELLERMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Well, yes. Again, Wolf, it is a question of the substance and symbol at the same time. But I think we had some sobering reminders in the last few minutes: one from Christiane Amanpour in Baghdad, the second from -- about the domestic divisions in this country.

So it's almost as if we have parallel tracks of what we're witnessing in front of us, celebratory and triumphant, but we all know there is sobering realities behind, as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, accompanying the president...

BLITZER: Let's listen to the announcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Staff director for the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, Susan Wells; the Senate sergeant-at-arms, Bill Pickle; the House sergeant-at-arms, Bill Livingood; chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Senator Trent Lott; Senator Christopher Dodd; the speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert; Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist; Representative Tom DeLay and Representative Nancy Pelosi.

(MUSIC)

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

(MUSIC)

BLITZER: The president is there and the formal remarks are about to begin. Jeff Greenfield makes a good point. The sun a little bit is coming out right now, Jeff.

GREENFIELD: Yes. I wouldn't suggest that anybody planning a warm weather vacation would want to be in Washington right now, but certainly compared to four years ago, as I'm sure Ari would remember, when rain was spattering on some of the people actually on that platform. It was cold and it was damp.

And considering what we thought we might be getting yesterday, the president and the country and the ceremony got a big break. It's cold but clear and in January in Washington, that's about as good as you can get.

BLITZER: Ari, I guess from the weather standpoint it's easy to say it could have been worse.

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, it really was bad four years ago. We were all freezing to death sitting up there.

You notice, when the president arrived how he was standing, how he was carrying himself. And this also is part of the uniqueness of the office of the presidency. When he won the primary in South Carolina in 2000, a very divisive primary, he said to me afterwards that he's more aware of how he holds himself, how he stands. He started to make the transition from somebody whom the camera is occasionally on to someone for whom the camera is always on.

That doesn't happen to Senators. It doesn't happen even to speakers. It does happen only to the president. He has to be aware of it every living moment, that the camera is always on him.

BLITZER: And lest anyone, any of our viewers are really concerned about the cold temperatures in Washington, having been a podium reporter up there over in previously inaugurations, there are floor heaters for the distinguished VIP's right in the front. So Laura Bush, the president, the daughters and others who are there, including the president's mother, Barbara Bush, they're not as chilly as probably Paula Zahn and David Gergen, who are right across from where they are right now, which is all very important.

And there is John Kerry. Barbara Kellerman, as we see John Kerry, you can only say to yourself, I guess he's saying to himself right now, "I got close but not close enough."

KELLERMAN: Well, he got close but not close enough. And it's a familiar feeling that we've all read about before.

The loss for him was painful in ways that it wasn't for Al Gore. Al Gore, of course, lived with a disputed election for some time, but John Kerry actually thought he was president for several hours, as we know about those exit polls, those misleading exit polls. He actually was savoring victory, only to find out within a very short time that this was all to go up in smoke.

So for him, I think, from everything we've read, everything we know, it was a particularly difficult loss.

BLITZER: I notice that the former vice president of the United States, Dan Quayle, is there. I don't see the former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, there, Jeff. Did you see him by any chance?

GREENFIELD: No. And according to everything we know he's not -- he's not there. And that's -- that's -- you can, I suppose, draw your own conclusions. In fact, more often than not in these inaugurals, the platform, apart from what I was talking about, people who want the presidency, often on the platform is somebody who came very close to being president.

Al Gore sat there four years ago as the outgoing vice president. Bob Dole was on the platform as -- I think he was on the platform in 1997. Defeated presidents have to sit there and watch their successor, pay tribute to them and think, yes, that's very nice now but think of what you said, you know, two months ago.

So -- but I do think this is part of the strength of it. You can't get cynical about this process when you think, for instance, that the Ukraine is about to inaugurate a president under very different circumstances.

BLITZER: Here's Senator Lott, who has been the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee of the Inaugural Ceremonies. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trent Lott.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, fellow Americans, welcome to the United States Capitol and the 55th presidential inauguration, where in a few moments president George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney will reaffirm their solemn oaths of obligation to support and defend the Constitution.

The inaugural ceremony is a seminal moment in our nation's history. It's the culmination of a triumphant democratic process that for centuries has placed power in the will of the people. And a unique (ph) moment when our leaders stand before the nation and take an oath to uphold a set of principles chosen by those people.

It is a time when all Americans can be unite in appreciation for our great republic, while looking to the future with confidence and vision. The ceremony, like the shining dome of the Capitol above us, is an enduring symbol of America's strength and stability in both challenging and prosperous times.

As President Ronald Reagan said in his first inaugural address, freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available here than any other place on earth. The price of this freedom at times has been high. But we have never been unwilling to pay that price.

Since we last met here, America has been challenged. And it has responded to those great tests with strength and steadfast courage of conviction. We have responded by continuing to be a beacon of hope that has led so many from the shadows of tyranny into the light of freedom.

Today we honor America. Today we celebrate the ever expanding opportunities of her people. And today we also honor the brave men and women of our armed forces who sacrificed to guarantee our freedom.

They are standing vigil today to spread peace and freedom to millions throughout the world.

Since 1789, Americans have gathered in peaceful, dignified ceremonies to transfer and reaffirm the authority of our chief executives. So it is that we gather here again today, looking out over the expanse of greatness that is America, to celebrate our nation, to commemorate its rich history of achievement, to advance the intrepid hopes that reside in the hearts of our citizens, and to give thanks to God for his blessings upon us all.

In that spirit, I call now on the Reverend Dr. Louis Leon, who will deliver the invocation. Dr. Leon. DR. LOUIS LEON, RECTOR, ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Let us pray.

Most gracious and eternal God, we gather here today as a grateful people who enjoy the many blessings you have bestowed on this nation. We are grateful for your vision, which inspired the founders of our nation to create this democratic experiment as one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

We are grateful to you that you have brought to these shores a multitude of peoples of many ethnic, religious and language backgrounds and yet have fashioned one nation out of so many cultures and traditions.

Even as we celebrate our -- this great moment, we remember before you the members of our armed forces. We commend them to your care. Give them courage to carry out their duties and courage the face the perils which we set them, and grant them always the sense of your presence in all that they do.

Finally today, we are especially grateful for this inauguration, which marks a new beginning in our journey as a people and a nation. We pray that you will shower the elected leaders of this land and especially, George, our president, and Richard, our vice president, with your life giving spirit.

Fill them with a love of truth and righteousness that they may serve you and this nation ably and glad to do your will. Endow their hearts with your spirit of wisdom that they may lead us in renewing the ties of mutual respect which form our civic life, so that peace may prevail with righteousness and justice with order.

We pray that you will strengthen their resolve as they lead our nation seeking to serve you in this world, that this good and generous country may be a blessing to the nations of the world.

And may they lead us to become, in the words of Martin Luther King, members of a beloved community, loving our neighbors as ourselves so that all of us may more closely come to fulfill the promise of our Founding Fathers, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All this we ask in your most holy name, amen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the chief justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Honorable William H. Rehnquist.

BLITZER: This is a dramatic moment for everyone. The chief justice of the United States suffering from cancer. He's been undergoing major treatment here in Washington. We thought he would have to come here in a wheelchair, but he's doing it -- he's walking, as we can all see, with a cane, escorted by the U.S. military.

The chief justice will be swearing in the president in a little bit more than 15 minutes or so from now, but on his own power he's walking down. This is a very dramatic moment indeed.

He was determined to be here. He is here, the chief justice. I think this is either the fifth or sixth time he will be swearing in a president of the United States. Didn't want to miss this. And we applaud him for being strong enough to do so right now. Very important moment indeed.

GREENFIELD: This is a man who served on the Supreme Court for many years.

LOTT: And now ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce one of today's most popularly acclaimed mezzo-sopranos, Miss Susan Graham.

BLITZER: The Joe Johns said the chief justice wanted to be here, make a statement by his presidency -- by his presence and underscore the importance, the historic nature of the day.

Let's take a quick little move away from Washington out into the heartland in Clark County, Ohio. CNN's Carlos Watson is there with a group of people who are watching all of this.

Carlos, what are they saying?

CARLOS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we've got five guests, some who voted for the president, some who voted for John Kerry. Everybody is paying attention here.

I'm going to turn first to one of the people who was most active in the president's campaign here in Clark County.

Bob, tell me what you're thinking about as you watch this inauguration get underway?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm just happy that he won. I'm happy that we're here to hear him, what he's going to say. And we certainly hope that he leads us as well in the second term as he did the first term.

WATSON: Now, Sheila, you did not back the president. You instead voted for John Kerry. Do you look upon the inauguration with optimism, or do you still kind of hold back a little bit when you see the president being sworn in for a second term?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think the race is over. And I think now is just time to just respect the office, the president and move on.

WATSON: And does that mean support for some of the big issues that he's likely to talk about: Social Security and changes in some of the other things?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know support. Just depends on -- there are some things I probably couldn't agree with him on. But leadership is in his hands, and so I think that's what I have to trust in. WATSON: Teresa (ph), you and I were talking earlier about whether or not you'd even be watching this if we weren't here in this wonderful Young's Dairy restaurant near Dayton. Do you usually pay attention to events like the State of the Union and something like the inauguration?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it's something that's after a working day, I'll watch it. I'm not a big political watcher, so if there's something else going on, I might not pay attention, or I'll tape it and watch it later. But today I would not have been watching. I would have been at work, and that's where my focus would have been.

WATSON: Can the president say something here, though, to you that you think can inspire you or could change the way you think about him? Because you didn't vote for him...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Correct.

WATSON: ... in the last. Can he say something here today in the 17-minute speech that we expect that would change the way you think about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not a lot. But I agree with Sheila in that the race is over. So now I have to support the office and hope that his leadership will take us in the right direction.

WATSON: and Heidi, 20 years old, you're a college student. You supported the president strongly. Are you hoping that this president is aggressive with his political capital, as he said? Are you hoping that he will aggressively push forward on some of these initiatives, or are you hoping he'll cooperate with Democrats more and maybe build a more centrist agenda?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm definitely hoping he'll be aggressive with his agenda. He definitely earned the capital. He won the election. I think the election was a referendum on the issues that he's dealt with in the last term on the Iraq war, and I hope he continues to pursue it very much.

WATSON: Heidi, thank you very much.

Jennifer, we'll be back to talk to you and everybody else a little bit later on.

From Ohio, Wolf, that's a bit of perspective from the state that ultimately decided this election with its key 20 electoral votes.

BLITZER: That's right, Carlos. Thanks very much. Carlos Watson in Ohio. What, 60,000, 70,000, 80,000 votes had gone the other way, despite the 3.5 million or so votes nationally, this election would have turned out differently.

We're listening to Susan Graham performing at the inaugural right now. The president is listening most attentively.

Jeffrey Toobin, our senior legal analyst, who himself is an expert on the Supreme Court, writing a book on the Supreme Court right now. Jeff, we saw William Rehnquist arrive just a few moments ago. It was such a dramatic moment.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It was. And he does look rather frail. And I have to correct something I said earlier. I mistook Anthony Kennedy for William Rehnquist. From my angle, the backs of their heads look similar.

The fact is, William Rehnquist does look rather frail, although he's here. And he will administer the oath.

BLITZER: All right, Jeff. Thanks. Let's listen to Chris Dodd, who's the co-chairman with Trent Lott of this bipartisan committee.

SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: ... fellow citizens. The vice president of the United States will now take the oath of office. His wife, Lynne, and their daughters, Elizabeth Cheney Perry and Mary Cheney, will hold the family Bible.

I now have the honor to present the speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, to administer the oath of office to the vice president, Richard Bruce Cheney.

Mr. Speaker.

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Raise your hand.

I, Richard Cheney, do solemnly swear...

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

HASTERT: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

CHENEY: ... that I will defend and support the Constitution of the United States...

HASTERT: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...

CHENEY: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...

HASTERT: ... that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...

CHENEY: ... that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...

HASTERT: ... that I will take this obligation freely...

CHENEY: ... that I take this obligation freely...

HASTERT: ... without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion...

CHENEY: ... without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion...

HASTERT: ... and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office...

CHENEY: ... and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of my office...

HASTERT: ... on which I'm about to enter, so help me God.

CHENEY: ... on which I'm about to enter, so help me God.

HASTERT: Congratulations.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Miss Denise Graves to perform the American anthem.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: That was truly beautiful and sets the tone for what we're about to do.

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. Justice Rehnquist.

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

I, George Walker Bush...

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

REHNQUIST: ... 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.

(MUSIC)

LOTT: Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor to introduce the 43rd president of the United States, the honorable George W. Bush!

BUSH: Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, members of the United States Congress, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens.

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For half a century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical. And then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability and we have seen its deepest source.

BUSH: 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)

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)

The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world. (APPLAUSE)

BUSH: America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights and dignity and matchless value, because they bear the image of the maker of heaven and Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave.

(APPLAUSE)

Fancying these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time.

So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

(APPLAUSE)

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary.

BUSH: Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities.

And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own.

America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal, instead, is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations.

BUSH: The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it.

America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.

(APPLAUSE)

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.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right.

(APPLAUSE)

America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators. They are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed.

In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

(APPLAUSE)

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty, though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt.

Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals.

BUSH: Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals.

Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery.

(APPLAUSE)

Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world.

BUSH: All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

(APPLAUSE)

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know America sees you for who you are, the future leaders of your free country.

The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did, "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."

BUSH: The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

(APPLAUSE)

And all the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel and we depend on your help.

BUSH: Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens.

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure.

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

Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it.

By our efforts we have lit a fire as well; a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power. It burns those who fight its progress. And one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

(APPLAUSE)

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause.

BUSH: In the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy, the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments, the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies, some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives. And we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

(APPLAUSE)

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time.

I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. BUSH: You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs.

Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

(APPLAUSE)

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home: the unfinished work of American freedom.

In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

BUSH: In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence.

This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights.

And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time.

To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance, preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society.

By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

(APPLAUSE)

In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character, on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives.

BUSH: Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self.

That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people.

Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before: ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak.

Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love.

BUSH: Americans at our best value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth.

(APPLAUSE)

And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

(APPLAUSE)

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many.

BUSH: From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom.

We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes. And I will strive in good faith to heal them.

BUSH: Yet those divisions do not define America.

We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart.

And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills.

We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul.

When our founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now," they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled.

BUSH: History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the author of liberty.

(APPLAUSE)

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still.

BUSH: 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)

May God bless you, and may he watch over the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: At this time I'd like to present a very unique performance, combining the United States Marine Band, the Navy Sea Chanters and the Army Herald Trumpets performing "God of our Fathers."

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

LOTT: Please continue standing, or stand if you're not standing now, as Pastor Kirby John Caldwell will deliver the benediction. And please remain standing for the singing of all of us of our National Anthem. It will be led by Technical Sergeant Bradley Bennett from the United States Air Force Band. Following the National Anthem, please remain in place while the official party departs the platform.

Pastor Caldwell.

PASTOR KIRBY JOHN CALDWELL: Thank you, Senator Lott.

Let us pray, please. Oh, lord, god all mighty, the supply and supplier of faith and freedom, how excellent is your name in all the Earth. You are great and greatly to be praised.

Oh, god, as we conclude this 55th inaugural ceremony, we conclude it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Thank you for protecting America's borders. After all, as the psalmist reminds us, "Unless you, oh, god, guard the territory, our efforts will be in vain."

Thank you for our armed service personnel. And it is with unswerving thanksgiving that we pause to remember the persons who have made the ultimate sacrifice to help ensure America's safety.

Thank you, oh, god, for surrounding our personnel, their families, their friends and our allies with your favor and your faithfulness. Deplore your host from heaven so that your will for America will be performed on Earth as it is already perfected in heaven.

I confess that your face will shine upon the United States of America, granting us social peace and economic prosperity, particularly for the weary and the poor. I also confess, oh, god, that each American's latter days will be better than their former days. Let it be unto us, according to your word.

Rally the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Independents around your common good so that America will truly become one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all, including the least, the last, and the lost. Bless every elected official right now.

Oh, god, I declare your blessings to shower upon our president, George W. Bush. Bless him, his family, and his administration. I once again declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper.

And god, forgive us, forgive us. Forgive us for becoming so ensnarled in petty partisan politics that we miss your glory and flunk our purpose.

Deliver us from the evil one, from evil itself, and from the mere appearance of evil. Give us clean hearts so that we might have clean agendas, clean priorities and programs, and even clean financial statements.

And now, unto you, oh, God, the one who always has been, and always will be, the one king of kings, and the true power broker we glorify and honor you. Respecting persons of all faiths I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

(SINGING, "STAR SPANGLED BANNER")

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And so the president of the United States sworn in for a second term. The vice president of the United States sworn in for a second term. The second term now has begun.

The president speaking for about 20 minutes or so in those remarks, which I think it's fair to say they were pretty tough, at least the first half of the speech. If there were traditional conservatives out there thinking back on some sort of isolationist foreign policy for the United States, the president quickly ended that kind of thought by stating clearly the survival of liberty in our land, he said, increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.

The reference being that he said these tyrannical regimes around the world, in his words, raise a mortal threat to the United States. Jeff Greenfield, this was pretty strong language. JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The first half of this speech is about as tough an inaugural speech as I can remember. If there is any doubt the president considers himself a wartime president, it is dispelled. By the third paragraph of this speech, September 11th has been evoked.

By the fifth paragraph he says our survival depends on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) liberty. And then in about five or ten minutes, he's directly warning outlawed regimes and tyrannies that we are going to stand against them.

I want to share a couple of lines with you. He says to democratic reformers in other countries, America sees you for who you are the future leaders of your free country. It will be interesting to see how that plays in Tehran and other places. And then he quotes Abe Lincoln that rulers of outlaw regimes saying if you do not (UNINTELLIGIBLE) freedom to others, you don't deserve it for yourselves.

And under the rule of a just god cannot long retain it. This speech in the first half is a flat-out declaration that everything he said since September 11th he is doubling and redoubling. We are going to try to use everything we can -- he says our considerable influence -- to expand democracy and freedom in the world and to challenge regimes that deny it to others.

BLITZER: It seemed, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), as we look at the former president of the United States and Senator Clinton leaving this podium; it seems that the president was addressing the world community in the first half of that speech more than he was addressing the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Wolf, I'm not sure he was addressing the world community as much as he was addressing those who were behind bars who couldn't hear him today in the world community. But they will indeed hear his message. I think that's what the President was addressing.

To address something Jeff talked about, the beginning of this speech I didn't think was tough, I thought it was a stern. I thought it was a wonderful blend of Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy when he talks about what democracy and freedom mean to human dignity and for liberty on earth. That's what he talked about.

You put your finger Jeff on the right sentence. And that was when he talked about America sees you for how are future leaders of the free country. I think he was talking about the second nation of the axis of evil. That's Iran and also North Korea. He coined that phrase axis of evil and he thinks about those people who want to be free principally (ph) in those countries but everywhere around the world.

BLITZER: Barbara Kellerman of Harvard University, what were you thinking when you heard the President deliver this speech?

BARBARA KELLERMAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: well, I think, wolf, I noticed my two predecessors have focused on the first half. It is absolutely the stronger half and I think we can make a clear distinction here. I would point to three things in particular. One is a statement of purpose where he says so it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements in every nation and culture.

The ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. Second, he makes the point of a clear comparison with communism. Very important. We're in a multigenerational long-term fight here for peace and liberty around the world.

And third, finally, for the moment, I was struck by the language, repeated use of the word slavery. Repeated use of the word tyranny. Reference to bullies. Particularly singling out women's rights. So this first half of the speech was clear, moral, purpose and, make no mistake about it.

BLITZER: What he said at beginning of the speech 9/11, he called a day of fire in this country. It was a day of fire. Anderson Cooper is down there on the Washington Mall with a lot of the people who were watching. Anderson, what are they saying?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of people watching, very attentively over the last several hours. A lot of people came here very early in the morning. I have a couple people here who have been watching. Amy, you're from Ohio. And Laura?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lori from Ohio also.

COOPER: Why did you want to come here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just really supported President Bush. Ohio was such an important state. We just thought it was historical. We're best friends. We thought it would be a fun road trip.

COOPER: You knitted these scarves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I sewed them, yes. This is W. For George W. In Ohio. Somebody thought it was Wisconsin but we educated them.

COOPER: You said it's great to see so many young people our here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes young people because that's our future, but it's great to see a lot of teenagers. We're both moms and we have teenagers, so passing on the history and all the -- everything with it.

COOPER: Two of those teenagers are right here, sophomores at G.W. Your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Jordan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Jennifer. COOPER: Why did you come? You're a Democrat. I won't say it too loudly so you don't get hurt in this crowd, but why did you want to come?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a Democrat but I go to school here at G.W. So it's not really an event you can pass up if you can get in.

COOPER: You feel like you're seeing history?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do. I really do.

COOPER: Is it a bittersweet day for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's bittersweet. Obviously I didn't vote for the man. I'd like to see someone else up there today but it's nice to be here and see it happen.

COOPER: You did vote for the president. And not a bittersweet day for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no. It's very exciting. I've never been to an inauguration before. This is incredibly exciting.

COOPER: What's it actually like being here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's such a great experience because everyone from all over the country is right here and watching history. This is something that's been going on for centuries. It's history. So it's so exciting.

COOPER: Could you actually even see the president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not at all. I couldn't even seat jumbotron. But it was still an exciting experience.

COOPER: And everybody here in this group. Could any of you here seat president? No? But was it still worth it coming? I heard you saying while he was speaking, you kept saying, excellent speech.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. All the time. Because I campaigned for the president and he's a triumphant leader who understands what it takes to defeat terrorists. I wish him all the best and he's going to be a great president for the next four years.

COOPER: All right. Well quick sampling of opinion here in the crowd. This crowd on the mall, Wolf, were people who were invited. They had invitations. A lot of them had done work for the campaign and so they were very happy to see their man taking the oath of office, witnessing history.

BLITZER: Anderson thanks very much.

We're standing by. The president momentarily will be signing some documents. It's just a formal nomination process for members of his cabinet. We have cameras there, as you can see. We'll go there and see the president do that. Our John King is on the podium still right now. John, based on my personal experience, that podium empties out rather quickly. How you doing right now?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has emptied out rather quickly. You can see the crowd is filling out, many of them going into the capitol for receptions. Many of the Bush supporters who are up here in the VIP section are looking forward to a day of parties. First some luncheon receptions, then of course the inaugural ball is tonight. They are all very much enjoying the ceremonies.

It is a remarkable event. I can still see down below me Senator John Kerry in good spirits. You can you tell he's getting a ribbing from some Republican members of Congress down there on the podium as he exits. But he's in good spirits on the inauguration of the man he had hoped to defeat in the election past.

One quick remark on the speech. Aides had promised such a speech very broad brush. The President for example did not say "Iraq" obviously a key issue and an issue many believe holding down his numbers in the polls right now because of the violent insurgency. The President talking about the power of liberty.

Many of course will now say will he be as tough when he comes to holding dissidents. Other governments in the world? Will he be as tough with Russia? Will he be as tough with China? Will he be as tough with Saudi Arabia and Egypt as he is with say Iraq, Iran and Syria?

So the president laying out his vision for the second four years here. But short on details. Many will listen to the speech today and see if he follows up on it in the challenging weeks and months ahead.

BLITZER: All right John. John, let me tell our viewers what we're seeing. This is really a photo opportunity. Not much after signing ceremony. They'll do that privately, I take it. The president with the leaders of the U.S. Congress, Senator Frist, the senate majority leader, the speaker Dennis Hastert.

The others who were members of the bipartisan joint congressional committee on inaugural activities. It's gone very, very smoothly so far. We appreciate that very much, Jeff Greenfield, when you think what could have been, so far it's going rather, rather well.

GREENFIELD: Well, the president is definitely in character by obviously starting his speech about two minutes early. Just one quick word about the second half of the speech which none of us have yet addressed. It occurred to a couple of us here this was almost two different speeches.

When the president turned toward home, the potential (ph) strength of that first part aimed squarely at leaders of outlaw regimes and in effect, warning them to cut it out, is replaced by what I would consider, if I may, kind of modular inaugural language. Let's invest in the cause better then themselves is one paragraph talking about the ownership society moving away from government-based programs. But it's basically a kind of generic call that we should be better people. And the contrast to me between the first half of the speech, which really is a -- I don't mean this in a specific -- a militant speech, aimed at what he considers the enemies of freedom and dangerous to our threats. And the second half of the speech is striking to me.

BLITZER: When I said everything has gone very smoothly, I'll have a little footnote to that. Ari (ph), you'll remember this. Four years ago there was an individual named Richard Weaver, of the so- called handshake man who eluded law enforcement, actually got very, very close to the president. You remember that? Four years ago.

We're showing our viewers that picture. He presented the president with a coin. He got through security. He was not supposed to do that. Remind our viewers what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well you are exactly right Wolf. Four years ago -- in the heart of all the layers upon layers upon layers of security -- this gentleman got himself through somehow to a place where he was not supposed to be. He was a harmless fellow, but he shouldn't have been there.

He handed the president a small little coin. It was a commemoration that he wanted to give to the president. He did that four years ago. And he didn't it this year. They nabbed him.

BLITZER: Let's tell our viewers. The Capitol Hill Police Chief, Terrance Dainer (ph), has informed reporters that only a little while ago this Richard Weaver was arrested as he attempted to pass through a checkpoint at 1st Street Southwest and Independence Avenue. He was arrested. Apparently wanted to try to do the same thing.

Not a big deal, but law enforcement clearly aware of what happened four years ago. Not taking any chances at all this time around. Our coverage, including more coverage of the speech and the next activities on this historic day, will continue right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Your looking at live pictures of Washington, D.C., the crowds beginning to thin out as the next chapter in this historic day unwinds. We're watching the inauguration of the president, the President and First Lady, others walking towards Statuary Hall in the U.S. capitol for the traditional lunch following the swearing-in ceremony.

That will be followed by the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Paula Zahn is up on Capitol Hill with David Gergen (ph). I'm anxious for both of you to weigh in on what you thought of the president's speech. PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think from what you and Jeff said earlier, David and I will amplify this. This was obviously an important speech and the president made very clear where his international priorities lied.

If you were looking for any clues as to what he was going to specifically push for in a second term domestically, I'm not sure we got that footprint today. I'm not sure we understand to what extent the president thinks he owes the public an opportunity to heal some of these wounds that we've seen from this very fractious election.

DAVID GERGEN: I agree Paula. Paula it strikes me that this is a speech that needs to be read more than once to let its full import sink in. It was both a surprising speech and an historically significant speech. Surprising in this sense.

We all came here today thinking that the emphasis in his second term would be on his domestic agenda starting with Social Security and tax reform, and that he very much wanted to heal the wounds of the country. Quite the reverse. His first priority is clearly the war on terrorism and an expansive, aggressive war on terrorism.

His second priority is his domestic legislation. And third, oh, by the way, is trying to heal the divisions in a country, very different from what we thought. Historically significant because I think he's revealed to us today the -- his strategy to win the war on terrorism is far more ambitious than we ever imagined.

It's not simply going after Iraq and getting rid of Saddam, nor is it simply going after al-Qaeda. It is rather to expand and extend liberty across much of the world. No other American president has ever committed himself in an inaugural as fully as this.

That kind of aggressive, foreign policy, one thinks back to the first inaugural, George Washington talked about the sacred fire of liberty. But he talked about liberty here at home. Thomas Jefferson, his inaugural warned us against entangling alliances. Then you move up to Kennedy, much later, and he's talking about defending freedom from those who would take it away.

That's not what George W. Bush is talking about. He's talking about America going abroad and expanding freedom, extending freedom. I thought that Jeff Greenfield's analysis right from the beginning right out of the box was exactly right.

This is a very important speech and one that I think sets America on a new course. Whether he can take us there, whether he can bring the Congress along and persuade allies is another matter. But it's a very aggressive stance.

ZAHN: And I think the president revealed something a week ago when he did an interview with somebody and he basically said, this is not going to be the kind of speech that prompts cheers. Although we sort of casually counted here, and we think he got up to some sort of 30 applause lines. But he wanted historians to pronounce this speech memorable. And I know you say if history is any guide, very few second inaugural speeches are memorable. But do you think there are lines in this speech that we will be quoting 10, 20, 30 years down the road?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he chose not to employ the lyrical poetry of say, Lincoln. He's too plainspoken for that. There were few memorable lines. I thought that the one to go back, to what Jeff and Wolf alluded to before. The important line is the survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends upon the success of liberty in other lands.

That's not a memorable line. But it's important as a different understanding, because we've never believed that here in America. We've always said -- had the sense of live and let live. If you attack somebody, we're going to help defend them maybe, but we're not going to care a whole lot about how you live in your own country.

This is a very different commitment on the part of a president of the United States. I think that is what will live on in memory.

ZAHN: Briefly, Wolf, before we go back to you, our Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here. We want to apologize once again. At earlier out of our broadcast, we were looking at what was happening behind us at a very odd angle. In fact, who we thought was Chief Rehnquist was indeed Justice Kennedy.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The buck stops here with that mistake. It was my mistake. Chief Justice Rehnquist' appearance was so memorable because it was -- he was so weak. He came in very briefly. He left before President Bush gave his speech.

He looks weak and sick and there are only two presidents in the last 100 years who have not appointed a justice to the Supreme Court, Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. I expect that will not be true for too much longer.

ZAHN: All right, Wolf.

BLITZER: Paula, thanks very much. Jeffrey, thanks to you. And David as well. Candy Crowley is inside the Rotunda now. You've been seeing them all get ready, moving over to Statuary Hall. That's the other picture we're seeing right now for the luncheon. All the dignitaries will be gathered inside for this lunch luncheon. From your vantage point Candy, what are you seeing? What's been happening?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been great people watching at a high level. Former President Clinton, everyone you saw out there of note came in here. The first thing that happens is Ronald Reagan was the first president to go into what they called the president's room, which is off the Rotunda where we are where the House meets the Senate.

And Ronald Reagan went in there and formally handed over his nominees for the cabinet to Congress. Now obviously, President Bush has already done that. But nonetheless, he went into the president's room where they were going to have a photo op, some sort of ceremony in there.

Then they have this lunch, which is a combination of the former presidents, old friends, family, and -- but they only have it slated for about an hour. There is a presentation of gifts. It's a formal luncheon. It's a bipartisan luncheon. The way things are going -- and some comments I've heard from people who walk through here and I talk to them, Democrats and Republicans, going to and rough go for George Bush.

He is not going to get any kind of ease into the second term. The Republicans here feel very much that the Democrats are loaded for bear, that they've made a decision that they are going to be very strong in their opposition to George Bush. That the Senate may be where the Democrats reshape themselves. So we are looking at a very rough, so far, congressional term for George Bush.

BLITZER: Basically, has everybody passed through the Rotunda already, Candy, who is heading over to Statuary Hall for the luncheon?

CROWLEY: They're still coming. Statuary Hall is right off the Rotunda. So they are still coming in. I think everybody that's going to be here for the luncheon is in and getting around in their seats. But people are still coming off the front of the Capitol.

BLITZER: Maybe they'll let you in to get a bite to eat too, Candy.

CROWLEY: Sure!

BLITZER: The delicious menu they're having. We'll try to find out what they're serving and share it with our viewers. Judy Woodruff is on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue right outside the White House. That's where the parade reviewing (ph) stand has already been established. The President and the entourage will be there. Judy, I'm anxious to get your thoughts on the President's speech.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, I've been listening to all of you. And certainly the universal assessment that this is an aggressive, even a militant statement by the president, I think everyone can agree with it.

Just strikes me once again that this is a president who is much more a man of action than he is a man of words. Certainly words matter to any president. But George w. Bush has never been one to stand still. He's never happier, never feeling more fulfilled than when he's moving, when he's acting.

You see it I think it's coming through in this speech. I keep looking back, Wolf, at the line, again, the reference to Abraham Lincoln, those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves and under the rule of a just god cannot long retain it.

Whether it's the leader of Iran, or the leaders of china, or move over to the African continent, Zimbabwe, many number of countries where you don't have democracy, where the leadership runs the country pretty much as they see fit. You could say this is a president throwing down the gauntlet to those leaders. So I think there is a lot to chew over in this speech. And we'll be very interested to hear the reaction.

BLITZER: I suspect these words, Judy, also, will resonate around the world, especially in some of the more totalitarian regimes, when the president said, quote, America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies. Powerful words that I'm sure will be heard around the world.

WOODRUFF: If anyone thought, Wolf, that George W. Bush was going to begin a second term with a conciliatory tone, and surely we have heard him say in the last few days that he's interested in doing business with the Europeans. We know there have been tense moments, and more than that, with the French, with the Germans and others.

This speech sends I think a very loud signal that the president is full-steam ahead. He believes what he believes, and that's the way it is.

BLITZER: It's going to be an ambitious foreign policy clearly based on what the president enunciated only minutes ago.

I want to set the scene with our viewers, what they're seeing now. This is Statuary Hall inside the U.S. capitol. The luncheon is about to begin. Ruffles and flourishes shortly will occur. The President will be introduced as he walks in.

We'll see the beginning part of this luncheon and then they'll politely ask the cameras to leave their lunch, and let them have their lunch in peace and quiet. We'll continue to watch all the other activities. You want to add anything, Jeffrey?

GREENFIELD: I want to go back to the dilemma that a lot of people have been looking about really ever since September 11th. Right after 9/11, Pakistan with which we'd had some very tough words, became an ally in an effort to go after the Taliban.

Pakistan is not a free country. The president used to assail when he was running in 2000 Russia for its treatment of Chechnya. Very quickly after Chechnya became terrorist and Putin became one of our best friends.

When the President talks about the oppression of women, the government of Saudi Arabia is not exactly known for its fine treatment of women. It's also the principal source of our foreign oil and a country we rely on a lot in terms of Middle East policy.

The translating these tough words into policy I believe is an old saying, the devil is in the details. That's going to be a rather interesting challenge for the President in his second term to put these words into play and policies.

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