[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 4 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Pages 81-82]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 22, 2005

    Good morning. My fellow Americans, earlier this week I had the honor 
of taking, for the second time, the oath of office as your President. 
The Inaugural ceremony is simple, yet its meaning is profound. Every 4 
years, the American people hold an Inauguration to reaffirm our faith in 
liberty and to celebrate the democratic institutions that preserve it. 
To place one's hand on the Bible and swear the oath is a humbling 
experience and a reminder of the high trust and great responsibility 
that the Presidency brings. With deep appreciation for your support and 
mindful of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, I'm eager to 
begin the work of a new term.
    In the years since I first swore to preserve, protect, and defend 
our Constitution, our Nation has been tested. Our enemies have found 
America more than equal to the task. In response to attacks on our home 
soil, we have captured or killed terrorists across the Earth. We have 
taken unprecedented steps to secure our homeland from future attacks, 
and our troops have liberated millions from oppression.
    At home, thanks to progrowth policies and the hard work of the 
American people, we overcame a recession and created over 2 million new 
jobs in the past year alone. Now we move forward. We remain in a war the 
United States will continue to lead, fighting terrorists abroad so we do 
not have to face them here at home. We will strive to keep the world's 
most dangerous weapons out of the hands of terrorists and tyrants. And 
our Nation will stand by the peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq as they 
build free and democratic societies in their own lands because when 
America gives its word, America must keep its word.
    As I stated in my Inaugural Address, our security at home 
increasingly depends on the success of liberty abroad. So we will 
continue to promote freedom, hope, and democracy in the broader Middle 
East and, by doing so, defeat the despair, hopelessness, and resentments 
that feed terror.
    At home too we will expand freedom. We will continue to bring high 
standards and accountability to our public schools so that every child 
can learn. We will transform our retirement and health systems, reform 
the legal system, and simplify the Tax Code so that all Americans enjoy 
the dignity and independence that comes from ownership. In this 
ownership society, every citizen will have a real stake in the promise 
of America, and our most valued institutions will be better

[[Page 82]]

prepared to meet the new challenges of a new time.
    This week, Washington has been marked by pomp and circumstance. In a 
free nation, these ceremonies are more than pageantry. They underscore 
that public office is a public trust. America's elected leaders derive 
their authority from the consent of the American people, whom we serve. 
This is a high privilege, and that privilege carries a serious 
responsibility, to confront problems now instead of passing them on to 
future generations.
    As long as I hold this office, I promise that I will serve all 
Americans and will work to promote the unity of our great Nation. And 
working together, we will secure the blessings of liberty, not only for 
ourselves but for generations of Americans to come.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 8:30 a.m. on January 21 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 22. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
January 21 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
this address.