Bush Puts Service at Center Stage

President Bush kicked off the celebration of his second inauguration with a salute to the military Tuesday, but he warned several thousand smartly turned-out soldiers that they must prepare for the long haul in the war on terrorism.

“You, those who wear our uniform, have given much, and much more will be asked of you in the months and years ahead,” the president said. “In Afghanistan and Iraq, the liberty that has been won at great cost now must be secured.”

Bush’s cautionary words brought to a somber close an otherwise celebrity-studded, flag-waving extravaganza, “Saluting Those Who Serve.”

The audience of about 10,000 included 60 winners of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for combat bravery. As he began his remarks, Bush snapped them a sharp salute.

Although the president did not elaborate, his depiction of a “difficult and dangerous” campaign ahead for American fighting men and women was reminiscent of his declaration last summer that the war on terrorism could not be won.

During an Aug. 30 interview on NBC’s “Today” show, host Matt Lauer asked Bush whether that war could be won.

“I don’t -- I don’t think we can win it,” Bush replied. “But I think you can create conditions so that ... those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in part of the world, let’s put it that way.”

Bush’s words, coming amid the heat of a presidential campaign, generated controversy as Democrats criticized him as having a defeatist attitude. Bush backtracked, telling the American Legion a day later that the war was indeed winnable.

The president spoke Tuesday at the end of a two-hour-plus party in the MCI Center, home of the city’s National Basketball Assn. and National Hockey League teams. Emceed by actor Kelsey Grammer, it featured singers Gloria Estefan, Heather Headley and Darrell Worley, among others, along with Miss USA Shandi Finnessey and several military musical units.

Family members of soldiers killed in combat had brief speaking roles, and satellite links enabled U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to participate as well.

The theme of the inaugural festivities -- “Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service” -- was touched on by Bush in his remarks.

“As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 55th presidential inauguration, I can think of no better way to begin than by giving thanks for our freedom and those who make it possible,” he said.

The president described the recent election in Afghanistan and the Jan. 30 election in Iraq as “landmark events in the history of liberty,” noting that “none of it would have been possible without the courage and the determination of the United States’ armed forces.”

Then Bush warned: “We still face terrorist enemies who wish to harm our people, and are seeking weapons that would allow them to kill on an unprecedented scale.

“These enemies must be stopped, and you are the ones who will stop them,” he said.

Later in the evening, the Bushes joined about 9,000 young Republicans at “America’s Future Rocks Today -- A Call to Service.” Among the performers at the District of Columbia National Guard armory were singer and actress Hilary Duff, whom Bush described as “fantastic,” and the group 3 Doors Down, who got the presidential seal of approval as “pretty cool guys.”

He then praised “America’s soldiers in the army of compassion” and urged the audience members to “take time out of your life to make somebody else’s life better.”

“By helping heal a broken heart, or surrounding a friend with love, or feeding the hungry, or providing shelter for the homeless, you can help change America for the better, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time,” he said.

Times staff writer Peter Wallsten contributed to this report.