US President George W. Bush pledged to work to heal a country divided by the Iraq war and urged "rulers of outlaw regimes" to let democracy flourish as he was sworn in for a second term yesterday.
Mr Bush, who begins his second term with the lowest approval rating of a returning president since Richard Nixon, said in his inaugural address, "We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes, and I will strive in good faith to heal them."
Mr Bush also vowed to advance democracy abroad in his address, delivered before a bulletproof shield on a wintry day before thousands gathered at the US Capitol and millions watching the display of flag-waving pageantry on television.
"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,'" he said in a 21-minute speech that a heckler tried to interrupt before being escorted away.
Mr Bush underscored the importance of US allies at a time when many world leaders are concerned about a second Bush term. "All the allies of the United States can know: We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help," he said.
Many leaders, alienated by what they see as Mr Bush's go-it-alone foreign policy and the Iraq war, would have preferred the Republican incumbent to lose. Since his victory, they have been urging him to listen and consult more.
Shortly before he gave his address, Mr Bush put his hand on a Bible and repeated the brief oath of office given him by William Rehnquist, the chief justice of the United States who is suffering from cancer and walked with a cane.
A band played "Hail to the Chief" and a 21-gun salute rolled over the crowd after the swearing-in, punctuating a quadrennial rite attended by three ex-presidents, Cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices and key lawmakers, including the man Mr Bush defeated in the November 2 election, Massachusetts Democratic Senator John Kerry. The cost of the inauguration celebrations are estimated to be $40 million.
In his address, Mr Bush tried to appeal to Democrats who are suspicious that he will repeat his first-term agenda of pushing conservative policies they cannot abide.
He said the cause of freedom unites the country as exemplified by the united response to the September 11, 2001, attacks that defined his first term.
"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," he said.
Security was extremely tight for the first presidential inauguration since the September 11 attacks, with police erecting steel barricades and shutting down about 100 blocks of the city.
Mr Bush never specifically mentioned Iraq by name in his speech, only alluding to it in saying that "for as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny... violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders."
"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," he said. He sent a message to the oppressed.
"When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are - the future leaders of your free country," he said.
He mentioned no names, but Vice President Dick Cheney told MSNBC that "Iran is right at the top of the list" of potential world trouble spots.
Mr Bush glossed over the details of his domestic agenda. Democrats are already gearing up for a fight over his proposals for revamping the social security retirement system and other domestic goals.
"I think we were all excited four years ago when the president said he wanted to be a uniter, not a divider. It didn't work out that way. This time he doesn't have to run for re-election, and I hope he follows through on that theme, a uniter, not a divider. This city needs some unification," Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, told CNN.
A number of "counter-inaugural" protests were staged, including an anti-war march. Along the route of the inaugural parade, protesters planned to turn their backs on Mr Bush.
Police stood side by side along the motorcade route. Several hundred protesters chanted and waved signs that read, "Draft beer, not men," "I want to make love not war," "Four more wars," and "War begins with W".