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Bush: ‘I ask you to be citizens’
By TIM NICKENS © St. Petersburg Times, published January 21, 2001 WASHINGTON -- Following in his father's footsteps, George W. Bush became the nation's 43rd president on a gloomy, bone-chilling Saturday and sketched a bright vision of a unified country. "This is my solemn pledge," he said during his 15-minute inaugural address on the west side of the Capitol. "I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity."
"Today," Bush said, "we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character." Seated a few feet away from Bush was Al Gore, the outgoing Democratic vice president who fought for more than five weeks after the election for a hand recount in Florida. And swearing in Bush was U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a member of the 5-4 majority that blocked the recount and handed the Texas governor the presidency. In another gesture aimed at reuniting the country, Bush acknowledged President Clinton and Gore at the start of his speech. "I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation," he said of the man who defeated his father in 1992, "and I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace." Gore shook hands with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney after they were sworn in. But even as Bush pledged to bring the country together, thousands of protesters jammed city streets and complained that the election had been stolen.
Among the signs: "The court of public opinion hereby reverses the U.S. Supreme Court" and "Re-elect Gore in 2004."
Even before the parade began, the incoming president and his administration were off and running. Bush issued a proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer today. He released ethical standards for the executive branch and he moved to suspend Clinton's batch of last-minute executive orders. The president also formally submitted his Cabinet members to the Senate. The Senate immediately voted to confirm the secretaries of state, treasury, defense, agriculture, commerce, energy and education. The weather was not as cooperative. Temperatures hovered in the 30s. A chilly drizzle fell for much of the morning and during the inauguration, and a harder rain made seating plentiful during the afternoon parade.
Portions of the National Mall turned into a mud bowl, and the clapping during Bush's speech was muffled because so many onlookers were wearing gloves. Bush braved the weather in an overcoat, a dark suit and bright blue tie. But others on the stage, including his mother, Barbara Bush, put on clear plastic ponchos. The inclement weather did not dampen the mood of Bush or his supporters. In hotel elevators, Texans could be heard joking about the Florida post-election battle and betting that the outcome of the Super Bowl won't be known until March. Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris was warmly greeted as she spoke to several hundred Republicans from the Sunshine State on Saturday morning. "We've been the brunt of so many jokes," said Harris, who was at the center of the post-election battle as the state's chief elections officer, "but I know that Florida stands tall." About the same time, Bush attended the traditional worship services at St. John's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Luis Leon said his sermon emphasized that "God's creation is good (and) . . . this is a good nation." Leon recommended that President Bush follow the example of Abraham Lincoln, who he said appealed to "the higher nature" of people and never sought retribution against his enemies. "Lincoln never said God is on our side," he said. "Instead Lincoln asked, "Are we on God's side?' " Bush then visited Clinton at the White House before arriving at the Capitol. More than 500,000 were expected to attend the ceremony, although many were discouraged by the rain and cold and even some prime seats went unclaimed. Rehnquist stood to administer the oath of office at 12:02 p.m. "Governor," the chief justice asked, "are you ready to take the oath?" "I am, sir," Bush responded. He raised his right hand and placed his left one on the 1767 King James Bible used by his father and George Washington during their inaugurations. He then recited the 35-word oath. Afterward, Bush reached for his father's right hand and hugged him. The senior Bush, the first father to watch his son's inauguration since Joseph Kennedy watched John F. Kennedy 40 years ago, wiped away a tear. The president's eyes watered, too, and he stopped briefly to compose himself when he mentioned his father in his speech. A 21-gun salute marked the change of command as Bush fought back tears again and snapped a salute to the crowd. Bush is the first man in more than a century to lose the popular vote but win the presidency. When he was awarded Florida's 25 electoral votes, he finished with 271, just one more than necessary for victory. But he spoke Saturday with confidence about reuniting the country and pursuing his campaign promises, including a $1.6-trillion tax cut and an overhaul of public education that he will relaunch this week. Looking out over a crowd of several hundred thousand spread before him on the muddy Mall and at the mist-shrouded Washington Monument in the distance, Bush said the country can meet his goals by working together. "Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defeating common dangers defined our common good," said Bush, 54. "Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing, by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations." The self-described compassionate conservative mentioned compassion three times as he called on Americans to tackle challenges that government cannot always meet. "What you do is as important as anything government does," Bush said. "I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character." Bush, the first son of a president to assume the presidency since John Quincy Adams in 1824, needed less time for his first speech than Clinton did for his goodbyes. The Democrat gave a farewell address at Andrews Air Force base and lingered to shake hands with supporters at the hangar. By the time he took off for New York in midafternoon, Bush's inaugural parade was well under way. High along the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue, a group of Republican supporters in long fur coats and cowboy hats enjoyed one of the city's many lavish inaugural parties. They stood on a covered stone balcony, toasting martini glasses and chanting Bush's name. Some eight stories below, a crowd of scruffy protesters carrying homemade anti-Bush signs huddled in the steady rain. Equally fervent about the president, they taunted the Republican party-goers to leave their more comfortable perch, crying "Trickle Down, Trickle Down." Sam Joseph, 31 and a Miami resident, was at one gathering of protesters. He said he started thinking about coming to Washington the day after the election. "I want to make a statement to let George Bush and his entire administration know that we're watching them," he said. But neither the weather nor doubters could spoil the day for Bush, who spent the evening moving from inaugural ball to inaugural ball. "Expectations in the country is we can't get anything done," the new president said during an inaugural luncheon with congressional leaders. "People say, "Well gosh, the election was so close, nothing will happen, except for finger pointing and name calling and bitterness.' "I'm here to tell the country that things will get done, that we're going to rise above expectations, that both Republicans and Democrats will come together to do what's right for America . . ." -- Washington bureau chief Sara Fritz and staff writer John Balz contributed to this report.
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