President, Staff Take a Day to Bask in Post-Inaugural Glow

President Bush started the first full day of his second term by attending an interdenominational church service, but otherwise stayed out of the limelight Friday, in part to give himself and his staff a breather before the work of his new term gets fully underway next week, officials said.

The president was “just letting everybody enjoy the day after,” one senior administration said.

Bush had a packed schedule Thursday, highlighted by his taking the oath of office at noon. Afterward, he attended a luncheon, viewed the inaugural parade and spent the evening dropping in on inaugural balls.

Still, Bush has not fulfilled all of his social obligations for the week. Tonight, he is scheduled to appear at a formal dinner of the Alfalfa Club, a social organization of Washington’s power elite that exists solely to put on an annual roast.

Friday morning’s National Prayer Service, held at the National Cathedral, is another Washington institution, a tradition started by George Washington. Bush did not speak but joined in the singing of several hymns.

More than 3,000 worshippers attended the hourlong service, including Bush family members, friends and top White House and administration officials.

The president’s motorcade passed clusters of demonstrators on the way to the cathedral and on the way back to the White House. There were far fewer protesters, however, than during the inaugural parade a day earlier.

While Bush has said he is eager to restructure Social Security and the tax code, a range of other pressing matters awaits his attention. These include his Feb. 2 State of the Union address, the final preparations of a new federal budget and filling several key positions, including national intelligence director, United Nations ambassador, trade representative and Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

At the same time, Bush must prepare for a weeklong visit to Europe a month from now, a trip meant in part to further mend relations with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, which were frayed by the Iraq war.