[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 295-298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         INAUGURAL PROCEEDINGS

  Inauguration of George W. Bush, Thursday, January 20, 2005, 11:30 
a.m.
  The Joint Chiefs of Staff assembled on the President's platform.
  The Diplomatic Corps assembled on the President's platform.
  Members of the House of Representatives of the United States, led by 
the majority whip, Roy Blunt, and the minority whip, Steny Hoyer, 
assembled on the President's platform.
  Members of the Senate of the United States, escorted by Senate 
secretary for the majority, David Schiappa, and Senate secretary for 
the minority, Martin Paone, assembled on the President's platform.
  Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, 
accompanied by Mrs. Gingrich; former Vice President and Mrs. Dan 
Quayle; the Governors of the United States and its territories; the 
President's Cabinet, and the Supreme Court of the United States 
assembled on the President's platform.
  The 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, 
and Senator Hillary Clinton, and the 39th President of the United 
States, Jimmy Carter, and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter assembled on the 
President's platform.
  (Performance by Mr. Wintley Phipps.)
  The daughters of the Vice President, Elizabeth Cheney Perry and Mary 
Cheney; the 41st President of the United States, George Bush, and 
Barbara Bush, and Mrs. Jenna Welch, accompanied by the daughters of 
President George W. Bush, Jenna and Barbara Bush, assembled on the 
President's platform.
  (Performance by Mr. Guy Hovis.)
  Accompanying the wife of the Vice President, Lynne Cheney, Chief 
Administrative Officer of the House, Jay Eagen; Assistant Secretary of 
the Senate, Mary Suit Jones; Mrs. Tom DeLay, and Mr. Paul Pelosi 
assembled on the President's platform.
  Accompanying the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, Secretary of the 
Senate, Emily Reynolds; Clerk of the House, Jeff Trandahl; Mrs. Trent 
Lott; Mrs. J. Dennis Hastert, and Mrs. William H. Frist assembled on 
the President's platform.
  Inaugural coordinator for the Joint Congressional Committee on 
Inaugural Ceremonies, Lura Nell Mitchell; Senate Deputy Sergeant at 
Arms, Keith Kennedy; House Deputy Sergeant at Arms, Kerri Hanley; 
Senator William H. Frist, and Representative Tom DeLay escorted Vice 
President Richard Cheney to the President's platform.
  Staff director for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural 
Ceremonies, Susan Wells; the Sergeant at Arms, Bill Pickle; the House 
Sergeant at Arms, Bill Livingood; chairman of the Joint Congressional 
Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, Senator Trent Lott; Senator 
Christopher Dodd; the Speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert; Senate 
Majority Leader William H. Frist; Representative Tom DeLay, and 
Representative Nancy Pelosi escorted President George W. Bush to the 
President's platform.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of 
the U.S. Congress, Reverend Clergy, fellow Americans, welcome to the 
U.S. Capitol and the 55th Presidential Inauguration, where in a few 
moments President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney 
will reaffirm their solemn oath of obligation to support and defend the 
Constitution.
  The inaugural ceremony is a seminal moment in our Nation's history. 
It is the culmination of a triumphant democratic process that for 
centuries has placed power in the will of the people, and a unique 
moment when our leaders stand before the Nation and take an oath to 
uphold a set of principles chosen by those people. It is a time when 
all Americans can unite in appreciation of our great Republic, while 
looking to the future with confidence and vision.
  This ceremony, like the shining dome of the Capitol above us, is an 
enduring symbol of America's strength and stability in both challenging 
and prosperous times. As President Ronald Reagan said in his first 
inaugural address, ``Freedom and the dignity of the individual have 
been more available here than any other place on Earth.'' The price of 
this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling 
to pay that price.
  Since we last met here, America has been challenged and it has 
responded to those great tests with strength and steadfast courage of 
conviction. We responded by continuing to be a beacon of hope that has 
led so many from the shadow of tyranny into the light of freedom.
  Today, we honor America. Today, we celebrate the ever expanding 
opportunities of her people. And today we also honor the brave men and 
women of our Armed Forces who have sacrificed to guarantee our freedom.
  (Applause.)
  They are standing vigil today to spread peace and freedom throughout 
the world. Since 1789, Americans have gathered in peaceful, dignified 
ceremonies to reaffirm the authority of our chief executives. So it is 
in that tradition that we gather here again today looking out over the 
expanse of greatness that is America to celebrate our Nation, to 
commemorate its rich history of achievement, to advance the intrepid 
hopes that reside in the hearts of our citizens, and to give thanks to 
God for his blessings upon us all.
  In that spirit, I call now on the Reverend Doctor Luis Leon, who will 
deliver the invocation. Dr. Leon.
  Rev. LEON. Let us pray.
  Most gracious and eternal God, we gather today as a grateful people 
to enjoy the many blessings You have bestowed on this Nation.

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  We are grateful for Your vision which inspired the Founders of our 
Nation to create this democratic experiment as one nation under God, 
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
  We are grateful to You that You have brought to these shores a 
multitude of peoples of many ethnic, religious, and language 
backgrounds, and yet have fashioned one nation out of so many cultures 
and traditions.
  Even as we celebrate this great moment, we remember before You the 
members of our Armed Forces. We commend them to Your care. Give them 
courage to carry out their duties and courage to face the perils which 
beset them and grant them always a sense of Your presence in all that 
they do.
  Finally, today, we are especially grateful for this inauguration 
which marks a new beginning in our journey as a people and a nation. We 
pray that You will shower the elected leaders of this land, and 
especially George, our President, and Richard, our Vice President, with 
Your lifegiving spirit. Fill them with the love of truth and 
righteousness that they may serve You and this Nation ably and be glad 
to do Your will. Endow their hearts with Your spirit of wisdom that 
they may lead us in reviewing the ties of mutual respect which form our 
civic life so that peace may prevail with righteousness and justice 
with order.
  We pray that You will strengthen their resolve as they lead our 
Nation seeking to serve You in this world, and that this good and 
generous country may be a blessing to the nations of the world. And may 
they lead us to become, in the words of Martin Luther King, members of 
a beloved community, loving our neighbors as ourselves so that all of 
us may more closely come to fulfill the promise of our Founding 
Fathers: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice 
for all. All this we ask in Your most holy name. Amen.
  Mr. LOTT. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court of the United States, the Honorable William H. 
Rehnquist.
  (Applause.)
  Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce one of today's 
most popularly acclaimed mezzo-sopranos, Ms. Susan Graham of Texas, to 
sing ``Bless This House.''
  (Performance by Ms. Susan Graham.)
  Mr. LOTT. Thank you, Susan.
  Ladies and gentlemen, please join me now in welcoming the senior 
Senator from Connecticut, the Honorable Christopher J. Dodd.
  (Applause.)
  Mr. DODD. Thank you, Senator Lott. President and Mrs. Bush, Vice 
President and Mrs. Cheney, fellow citizens, the Vice President of the 
United States will now take the oath of office. His wife, Lynne, and 
their daughters, Elizabeth Cheney Perry and Mary Cheney, will hold the 
family Bible. I now have the honor to present the Speaker of the House 
of Representatives, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, to administer the 
oath of office to Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney. Mr. Speaker.
  (Applause.)
  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Vice President, please raise your right hand and 
repeat after me.
  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert, 
administered to the Vice President the oath of office prescribed by the 
Constitution, which he repeated, as follows:
  ``I, Richard Bruce Cheney, do solemnly swear that I will support and 
defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies 
foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the 
same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental 
reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully 
discharge the duties of my office of which I am about to enter. So help 
me God.''
  Mr. LOTT. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome internationally 
acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Ms. Denyce Graves, to perform ``American 
Anthem.''
  (Performance by Ms. Denyce Graves.)
  Mr. LOTT. That sets the tone for what we are about to do.
  Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the 
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Honorable 
William H. Rehnquist, who will administer the Presidential oath of 
office. Justice Rehnquist.
  The CHIEF JUSTICE. Raise your right hand, Mr. President, and repeat 
after me.
  The Chief Justice of the United States, William H. Rehnquist, 
administered to the President the oath of office prescribed by the 
Constitution, which he repeated, as follows:
  ``I, George Walker Bush, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully 
execute the office of President of the United States and will, to the 
best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of 
the United States. So help me God.''
  (Applause.)
  The PRESIDENT. Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President 
Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, Members of the United States 
Congress, Reverend Clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens.
  (Applause.)
  On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate 
the durable wisdom of our Constitution and recall the deep commitments 
that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, 
mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to 
fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
  At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I 
use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, 
America defended its own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. 
After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of 
repose, years of sabbatical--and then there came a day of fire.
  We have seen our vulnerability and we have seen its deepest source. 
For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and 
tyranny, prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, 
violence will gather and multiply in destructive power and cross the 
most defended borders and raise a mortal threat. There is only one 
force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment and 
expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent 
and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.
  (Applause.)
  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.
  (Applause.)
  The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in 
all the world.
  (Applause.)
  America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From 
the day of our founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on 
this Earth has rights and dignity and matchless value because they bear 
the image of the Maker of heaven and Earth.
  (Applause.)
  Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-
government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves 
to be a slave.
  (Applause.)
  Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is 
the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent 
requirement of our Nation's security, and the calling of our time. So 
it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of 
democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with 
the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
  (Applause.)
  This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend 
ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by 
its nature, must be chosen and defended by citizens, and sustained by 
the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of 
a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect 
customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not

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impose its own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead 
is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and 
make their own way.
  The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of 
generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. 
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.
  (Applause.)
  My most solemn duty is to protect this Nation and its people from 
further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test 
America's resolve, and have found it firm.
  (Applause.)
  We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every 
nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and 
freedom, which is eternally right.
  (Applause.)
  America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, 
or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human 
being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
  We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that 
success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own 
people.
  (Applause.)
  America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights 
must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are 
secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the 
long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no 
human rights without human liberty.
  (Applause.)
  Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty--although 
this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of 
freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, 
should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the 
call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept 
the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the 
possibility of permanent slavery.
  (Applause.)
  Liberty will come to those who love it.
  Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world. 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.
  (Applause.)
  Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know 
America sees you for who you are, the future leaders of your free 
country.
  The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as 
Abraham Lincoln did: ``Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not 
for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain 
it.''
  The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: 
To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this 
journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
  (Applause.)
  All the allies of the United States can know we honor your 
friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. 
Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The 
concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to 
our enemies' defeat.
  Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens. From all of you, I 
have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you 
have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that 
are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet 
because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this Nation, 
tens of millions have achieved their freedom.
  (Applause.)
  As hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we 
have lit a fire as well--a fire in the minds of men. 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.
  A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause--in 
the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy; the idealistic work of 
helping raise up free governments; the dangerous and necessary work of 
fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in 
deaths that honored their whole lives, and we will always honor their 
names and their sacrifice.
  (Applause.)
  All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first 
time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. 
You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our 
soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, evil is real, and courage 
triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, 
larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the 
wealth of our country, but to its character.
  (Applause.)
  America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential 
work at home--the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world 
moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and 
promise of liberty. In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the 
dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on 
the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that 
motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill 
of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great 
institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a 
stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the 
highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society.
  (Applause.)
  We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement 
savings, and health insurance, preparing our people for the challenge 
of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or 
her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from 
want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
  In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private 
character--on integrity, and tolerance towards others, and the rule of 
conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the 
governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, 
supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national 
life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the 
Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in 
every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came 
before--ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, 
today, and forever.
  (Applause.)
  In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by 
service, mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean 
independence from one another. Our Nation relies on men and women who 
look after a neighbor and surround the loss with love. Americans, at 
our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always 
remember that even the unwanted have worth.
  (Applause.)
  Our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot 
carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same 
time.
  (Applause.)
  From the perspective of a single day, including this day of 
dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From 
the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed 
and few. Did our generations advance the cause of freedom? And did our 
character bring credit to that cause?
  These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of 
every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound 
to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions which 
must be healed to move forward in great purposes, and I will strive in 
good faith to

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heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity 
and fellowship of our Nation when freedom came under attack, and our 
response came like a single hand over a single heart. We can feel that 
same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of 
disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the 
captives are set free.
  (Applause.)
  We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of 
freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is 
human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a 
chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence 
because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger and dark 
places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order 
of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on 
liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner 
``Freedom Now,'' they were acting on ancient hope that is meant to be 
fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has 
a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
  (Applause.)
  When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the 
Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, ``It rang as 
if it meant something.'' In our time, it means something still. 
America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout the world, 
and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength--tested but 
not weary--we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of 
freedom.
  (Applause.)
  May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of 
America.
  (Applause.)
  Mr. LOTT. At this time, I would like to present a unique performance 
combining the U.S. Marine Band, the Navy Sea Chanters, and the Army of 
Herald Trumpets, performing ``God of our Fathers.''
  (Musical performance.)
  Mr. LOTT. Please stand as Pastor KirbyJon Caldwell will deliver the 
benediction, and then please remain standing for the national anthem, 
which will be led by TSgt Bradley Bennett from the U.S. Air Force Band. 
Following the national anthem, please remain in place while the 
official party departs the platform. Pastor Caldwell.
  Rev. CALDWELL. Thank you, Senator Lott. Let us pray, please.
  O Lord God Almighty, the supply and supplier of faith and freedom, 
how excellent is Your name in all the Earth. You are great and 
gratefully to be praised. O God, as we conclude this 55th inaugural 
ceremony, we conclude it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Thank You 
for protecting America's borders. After all, as the Psalmist reminds 
us, unless You, O God, guard the territory, our efforts will be in 
vain.
  Thank You for our armed service personnel. And it is with unswerving 
thanksgiving that we pause to remember the persons who have made the 
ultimate sacrifice to help ensure America's safety. Thank You, O God, 
for surrounding our personnel, their families, their friends, and our 
allies with Your favor and Your faithfulness. Deploy Your host from 
Heaven so that Your will for America will be performed on Earth as it 
is already perfected in Heaven.
  I confess that Your face will shine upon the United States of 
America, granting us social peace and economic prosperity, particularly 
for the weary and the poor.
  I also confess, O God, that each American's latter days will be 
better than their former days. Let it be unto us according to Your 
words. Rally the Republicans, the Democrats, and the Independents 
around Your common good so that America will truly become one nation 
under God, indivisible, with liberty, justice, and equal opportunity 
for all, including the least, the last, and the lost.
  Bless every elected official right now. O God, I declare Your 
blessings to shower upon our President, George W. Bush. Bless him, his 
family, and his administration. I once again declare that no weapon 
against them shall prosper. God, forgive us for becoming so ensnarled 
in petty partisan politics that we miss Your glory and forget our 
purpose. Deliver us from the evil one, from evil itself, and from the 
mere appearance of evil. Give us clean hearts so that we might have 
clean agendas, clean priorities and programs, and even clean financial 
statements.
  And now unto You, O God, the one who always has been and always will 
be the one King of Kings and the true power broker, we glorify and 
honor You. Respecting persons of all faiths, I humbly submit this 
prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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