Bush Doctrine: Spread Liberty

George Walker Bush, taking the oath of office and opening his second term as president, vowed in a sweeping declaration Thursday that the United States would promote democratic movements “in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”

With thousands of U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and public opinion polarized over the policies that put them there, Bush offered few hints about whether his doctrine would mean military action against other countries. But directing his remarks to the “rulers of outlaw regimes,” the president suggested that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were only the start of a global strategy to spread freedom.

“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,” Bush, 58, said after taking the oath at the Capitol, as morning sunshine gave way to an overcast sky.

The inaugural celebration, the first since the 2001 terrorist attacks that transformed Bush’s presidency and reshaped U.S. foreign policy, was protected by security that turned the nation’s capital into a fortress.

More than 100 city blocks were closed to traffic. Concrete barricades and metal police fences were ubiquitous. Antiaircraft missiles were deployed near the Capitol.

But for the 43rd president and his family it was a day to celebrate, coming after an election victory that, unlike his contested win four years ago, rested on a decisive popular vote.

In uttering the 35-word presidential oath, Bush achieved the second term that eluded his father, the 41st president, and enshrined the Bushes as one of the nation’s political dynasties.

The scene suggested that the family’s mark on politics might not end when Bush left office. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the president’s younger brother, is often mentioned as a future White House contender and was frequently in view of the TV cameras.

Also in view was the governor’s telegenic son, George P. Bush, a lawyer who is thought to be planning a future in politics.

The president was sworn in by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ailing from thyroid cancer, who used a cane and grasped a handrail to hobble onto the platform from inside the Capitol.

Moments before noon, Bush placed his left hand on the family Bible used to swear in his father as president and brother as governor, and which on this day was cradled by First Lady Laura Bush. Wearing a dark suit and an ice-blue tie, the president raised his right hand and repeated the oath read in hushed tones by Rehnquist. Twin daughters Barbara and Jenna stood a few feet away.

While the justice’s frail state offered a reminder of the partisan battles that awaited over judicial nominations and other matters, Bush sought to strike some bipartisan notes. At a luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall after the swearing-in, Bush said that he wanted to work “with members of both houses and both parties.”

Polls show that Bush remains a divisive figure. Surveys published this week put his approval rating at 49% to 53%. Other modern presidents elected to two terms -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton -- enjoyed higher approval ratings as they reentered the White House.

Bush’s comparatively low ratings come after a bruising election campaign in which his Iraq policy was the central issue. He was confronted early Thursday with the realities of that partisan divide.

As he sat in the presidential pew at St. John’s Episcopal Church, across the street from the White House, the Rev. Luis Leon offered an appeal to Bush to bridge the nation’s cultural and political gaps.

“I hope you will invite us to be a better people ... beyond the confines of red and blue states,” said Leon, referring to the electoral map in which Republican states were marked red and Democratic ones blue.

In his address three hours later, Bush framed his vision of global freedom as a rallying point for national unity as the country came together after the 2001 attacks.

“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 said.

Still, it was clear that the president would have to offer more than cordial words.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) watched the swearing-in from the platform as a member of the bipartisan inaugural planning committee. But less than six hours earlier, Pelosi had written a fundraising appeal to Democrats that accused Bush of pursuing the “death of Social Security.”

“Personally, I don’t feel much like celebrating,” Pelosi wrote. “So I’m going to mark the occasion by pledging to do everything in my power to fight the extremist Republicans’ destructive agenda.”

Although Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged to work with Bush, Democratic senators this week delayed a confirmation vote for Bush’s choice for secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, in a sign that they intended to elaborate on objections to a foreign policy that she helped design.

Democrats also delayed action on the confirmation of another top-tier nominee, Atty. Gen.-designate Alberto R. Gonzales, who is closely associated with Bush’s antiterrorism policies.

But the Senate convened Thursday afternoon to confirm two Cabinet nominees: Margaret Spellings as secretary of Education and Mike Johanns as secretary of Agriculture.

Some of the partisan rancor spilled into the day’s ceremonies.

One deep-voiced protester managed to yell loud enough during Bush’s address to be heard on live network TV broadcasts.

Bush appeared not to notice the disruption.

The president’s campaign opponent, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), sat among other lawmakers at the swearing-in, flashing an occasional smile and periodically applauding.

After the swearing-in, military cannons erupted in a 21-gun salute. The Army Herald Trumpets performed “Four Ruffles and Flourishes,” and the U.S. Marine Band played “Hail to the Chief.”

Following the luncheon in the Capitol with lawmakers from both parties, as well as Cabinet officials and military officers, the president stepped into a flag-bedecked limousine bearing the license plate USA 1, and joined a parade that traveled 1.7 miles along Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

The crowd that looked on included thousands of demonstrators, many angered by the war in Iraq. As Bush’s limousine passed one point, demonstrators on both sides of the parade route booed. Some yelled, “Shame.”

Other protesters turned their backs to the president. A few threw what appeared to be bits of food at the limousine.

But the voices of dissent did little to detract from the pageantry of a day that adhered largely to the traditions of the 54 previous inaugural celebrations.

The president rode most of the route in the limousine but walked part of the final two blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue with the first lady, waving to supporters packed into bleachers.

Once ensconced with friends and family in the glass-enclosed reviewing stand in front of the White House, the president and his daughters pointed and waved as high school and college marching bands strolled past.

Bush dropped by nine inaugural balls. “We’re having the time of our life,” the president, wearing a tuxedo, told thousands of revelers at one early evening gala near downtown Washington. The first couple danced for 45 seconds before heading to the next event.

The underlying tone of the day came from Bush’s address, which included a lecture of sorts to world leaders who might defy U.S. ambitions for freedom and to people who lived in undemocratic nations.

“Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world,” Bush said. “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.”

Bush said U.S. influence would not always come from its military might -- but he nonetheless dangled firepower as an option.

“We will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary,” he said.

“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.”

The president punctuated his point by citing an admired predecessor, Abraham Lincoln, to invoke this nation’s own rocky record on freedom. Acknowledging that racism exists, he said the United States “cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.”

Bush used broad strokes in laying out his vision, never mentioning Iraq or naming any one nation as an enemy of freedom.

But Vice President Dick Cheney filled in some of the blanks.

In an early morning radio interview with Don Imus, Cheney singled out Iran as a future target in the administration’s global agenda.

Cheney said the administration was “very concerned” by what he called Iran’s “fairly robust” nuclear program and the nation’s role as a “noted sponsor” of terrorists, including Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese group.

Cheney said Iran was “right at the top of the list” when it came to potential global trouble spots.

The vice president said the administration would continue to address its concerns “diplomatically,” adding: “We don’t want a war in the Middle East, if we can avoid it.”

While criticisms of the president’s speech were muted, the prospect of taking a more aggressive stance in foreign policy was likely to spark controversy, even among some Republicans wary of the rising toll of dead and wounded U.S. soldiers and the mounting costs of war.

Bush did not directly address the bloody realities of war. But he said that, in the end, the costs were worth it.

“Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon,” Bush said. “Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom.

“By our efforts, we have lit a fire, as well -- a fire in the minds of men,” he said. “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.”

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Times staff writers Maura Reynolds, Sonni Efron, Nick Anderson, Robin Abcarian, Warren Vieth and Johanna Neuman contributed to this report.