A call to Unity

President Bush wins a second term, then joins challenger John Kerry in asking for an end to the electorate's acrimony.

WASHINGTON - It took 12 hours this time rather than 36 days, and the outcome was far more decisive, if no less divisive. But as President Bush and Democrat John Kerry, his vanquished challenger, addressed their supporters Wednesday afternoon, both men pleaded for national unity.

Bush, declaring victory after winning the Electoral College and the popular vote, said he would try to heal a divided nation.

"I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent," he said, looking squarely into the TV cameras. "To make this nation stronger and better I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation."

In Boston, Kerry gathered his faithful in one of the nation's landmarks of democracy, Faneuil Hall. He said he had called Bush to concede Wednesday morning only after it became clear that all the uncounted votes in Ohio could not vault him past the president's 130,000-vote lead there.

"We had a good conversation, and we talked about the danger of division in our country and the need, the desperate need for unity, for finding the common ground, coming together," Kerry told a hall packed with family, friends and campaign workers. "Today I hope that we can begin the healing."

In Washington, several thousand Bush supporters watched Kerry's speech on big TV screens inside the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. When the Democratic nominee conceded, they cheered and waved American flags.

The afternoon celebration was the finale of a marathon Bush celebration that began when the polls closed Tuesday night and continued until nearly dawn. When the Kerry campaign refused to concede, Bush supporters went home and grabbed a few hours of sleep. They reassembled in the Reagan Building in the afternoon, weary but still enthusiastic.

Bush recounted the phone call with Kerry and said, "He was very gracious. Senator Kerry waged a spirited campaign, and he and his supporters can be proud of their efforts."

Kerry, who was accompanied by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and his daughters and stepsons, delivered an emotional speech heavy on praise for those who helped him and heavy on hope for their ideals in the future.

It lasted just 15 minutes - short, by Kerry's standards - and was frequently punctuated with applause. After nearly a year of constant campaigning, and a week of sleepless nights that accompanied the campaign's final spirited, if ineffective, drive for votes, many in the room were emotionally and physically wrung out.

Men and women cried and embraced as the speech brought the end they had known since midnight was bound to come.

Some cursed the Republicans. Some blamed themselves and their inability to appeal to socially conservative voters, who have been turning to the Republicans since Ronald Reagan first courted them. Others chalked the loss off to the difficulty of unseating a sitting president at a time of war.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of people who make predictions" about what went wrong, said Bob Shrum, Kerry's media consultant. "I'm not one of them today. I thought John Kerry made a very powerful case."

The crowd that had gathered in the cold, gusty wind outside Faneuil Hall roared when Kerry arrived, and the crowd inside roared when he took the stage.

"Don't lose faith," he told them. "What you did made a difference. ... I promise you, that time will come, the time will come, the election will come, when your work and your ballots will change the world. And it's worth fighting for."

Kerry remains a senator from Massachusetts. While his tone Wednesday was gracious and conciliatory, he also said he would continue to fight for the issues on which he built his candidacy, including stemming job loss, increasing access to affordable health care, and protecting the environment, as well as working "to restore America's reputation in the world."

Bush's victory was remarkable because, despite predictions of a razor-thin margin that would trigger recounts and court battles, he won the popular vote by a solid 51-48 percent. He was the first presidential candidate to win more than 50 percent of the vote since his father defeated Michael Dukakis in 1988.

He vowed to keep his campaign promises. "We'll continue our economic progress. We'll reform our outdated tax code. We'll strengthen the Social Security for the next generation. We'll make public schools all they can be. And we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith."

Bush pledged to foster democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan and once that's complete, he said, "our servicemen and women will come home with the honor they have earned."

After nonstop campaigning for the past few weeks, Bush sounded relieved.

"The campaign has ended, and the United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith," he said. "I see a great day coming for our country and I am eager for the work ahead."

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