Out with the old, in with the new. That was the theme coming into last week’s presidential inauguration ceremonies. Saturday, George Walker Bush, son of President George Herbert Walker Bush, assumed the title of 43rd president of the United States.
The actual swearing in ceremony was only the climax of a flurry of activities around the nation’s capital.
Inauguration festivities began on the evening of Thursday with an introduction by then Vice President-elect Dick Cheney in front of the Lincoln Memorial. After the brief introduction, Bush added a gracious tone and discussed some of the responsibilities that come with being the nation’s leader.
"I am honored to serve, and I am ready to start … Thank you for coming to celebrate our great nation," Bush said.
Following the evening’s introductions, Ricky Martin performed before the D.C. crowd on the steps of the memorial.
Friday, many of the planned inaugural balls finally took place to celebrate the incoming Texan. Most infamous was the Texas Black Tie and Boots ball whose invitees were some of the larger bigwigs from both Washington and the Lone Star State.
On a rain-filled and wintry cold Saturday afternoon in front of the capitol building in Washington, D.C., Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the oath of office to both Cheney and Bush.
Cheney came first, followed quickly by Bush who, after giving his 35-word oath, was proclaimed the new president of the United States of America.
The former Texas governor officially took his oath on the same Masonic bible once used by George Washington in 1789.
Bush is the second son of a president in American history to be sworn into office after his father. The first was John Quincy Adams in 1825.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, Bush delivered his presidential inaugural address. He began his speech by stating how uniquely peaceful presidential transitions are in this country.
"This peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions, and make new beginnings," Bush said.
In the middle of his speech, the new president launched into a list of planned initiatives for the new administration, and did not forget to mention his large, across-the-board tax cut.
"Together, we will reclaim America’s schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives. We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. And we will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans. We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge. We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors," Bush said.
The inaugural ceremony was not without its protests however. Security was tight and passions were high, but in the end, there was only a total of eight arrests by the end of the ceremony.
Many of the demonstrations were fairly calm and peaceful consisting mostly of silent sign holders representing their cause in simple words.
During the actual inaugural speech by President Bush, the crowd of hundreds of thousands in front of the capitol building was almost entirely silent to recognize the import of the first presidential transition in this millennium.
Later Saturday afternoon, Bush sat and watched the inaugural parade that took several hours to complete and contained many floats and performances by local and nation-wide groups. One of the more recognizable groups was the Midland High School band from Midland, Texas where President Bush once called home before coming to Washington.
The product of one of the most controvercial elections in the nation’s history, Bush will face a number of challenges during his term, most especially to prove the legitimacy of his presidency to his democratic opponents.
