OPPapers.com

Bush Inauguration

In his first speech as the nation's chief executive, President Bush delivered a stunning address capable of reuniting a nation bitterly divided, many say.
A plethora of flags hanging behind the U.S. Capitol stage, Bush spoke to a crowd of thousands after being sworn in to office Saturday. And it was a speech lined with obvious passion and a call for all Americans to unite, especially since the Florida ballot melee has left a sour taste in the mouth of much of America.
"I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity," he told a crowd so Republican that it heavily booed both President Clinton and Vice President Gore when the pair were introduced before the swearing-in ceremony began.
"We are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward. America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds; riches above our interests and teaches what it means to be citizens."
During his two-year long campaign, Bush several times claimed to be a "uniter, not a divider." Now, with ceremonies over and the world's most premiere job already in his control, the ultimate test begins.
And many legislators, Republicans and Democrats alike, say the former Texas governor is up to the challenge.
"The speech really had a good tone, I thought," U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, said Saturday night at the Michigan State Society Ball. "It sound as if he wants to reach out and solve this nation's problems."
Meanwhile, members of the GOP couldn't agree more, saying it's time to put aside the bitter partisanship that some say has occupied the capital city -- and the nation -- for much too long.
"He has a great record in Texas," U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said before exiting a party breakfast early Saturday morning. "He got started out on the right foot there.
But Bush will have to work "very hard" to unite Americans now, Upton said. And while the congressman insists he's optimistic both...