Bush Vows Activist Agenda in Second Term

By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer

January 21, 2005, 4:42 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- President Bush set forth on an ambitious second-term agenda of reshaping Social Security and sparking democracy in the Middle East after wrapping up his inaugural on Friday with moments of prayer and reflection.

His Republican allies said they were eager to begin, as well, while Democrats vowed to resume their fight against "extreme" GOP policies.

Four days of celebrations surrounding Bush's inauguration culminated with a National Prayer Service on Friday, following a tradition set by the nation's first chief executive, George Washington.

The hourlong service, Bush's second visit to the church in two days, brought together 3,200 invited family, Cabinet members, top White House aides and others in the majestic Gothic-style sanctuary of the National Cathedral.

Instrumental and choral music filled the church and an interfaith lineup of Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy helped celebrate through prayer the events of the day before -- Bush's swearing-in at the Capitol.

Offering one prayer, the Rev. Billy Graham said he believed God had a hand in Bush's re-election.

"Their next four years are hidden from us, but they are not hidden from you," said the 86-year-old evangelist, whom Bush credits with inspiring him to reaffirm his faith and give up drinking at age 40. "You know the challenges and opportunities they will face. Give them a clear mind, a warm heart, calmness in the midst of turmoil, reassurance in times of discouragement and your presence always."

On Thursday, the president was on the go all day, from an early morning church appearance to the inaugural ceremony to watching the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue to a late night dash through 10 black-tie inaugural balls. The only thing on the president's public schedule for the first day of his second term was the prayer service.

But there will be little time for him to rest, with all the tasks he has named as priorities for himself and the nation:

* Win a war on terror against shadowy, deadly networks.

* Establish stability and democracy in Iraq, a deeply divided country where the U.S. casualty rate has even fellow Republicans urging Bush to say more about how he will get the United States out.

* Add private investment accounts to Social Security, through an as-yet-undefined plan that has many deeply skeptical.

* Simplify a tax code bloated by thousands of provisions that special-interest patrons will be loathe to relinquish.

* Limit medical malpractice and class-action jury awards.

* Push a "guest worker" immigration plan that conservatives in his own party oppose.

For the immediate future, Bush's list of most-pressing duties include naming someone to the powerful new post of director of national intelligence, watching the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq and mending still-frayed relations with Europe during his first overseas trip of his second term.

"I'm looking forward to putting my heart and soul into this job for four more years," he told congressional leaders at a post-swearing-in luncheon.

"We're ready to go to work," replied Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., chairman of the congressional inaugural committee.

Eager to begin, the GOP-controlled Senate convened Thursday to confirm the first of Bush's nine new second-term Cabinet officers -- Mike Johanns as secretary of agriculture and Margaret Spellings as secretary of education.

Senate Democrats are delaying confirmation of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. The inauguration, they said, was only a brief respite in their battle against the GOP majority.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told supporters in a fund-raising e-mail that "when the inauguration bands stop playing and Congress comes back into session, we Democrats will be on guard and ready to fight against the Republicans' extreme policies once again."

Bush's inaugural address was light on specifics and heavy on high-minded symbolism.

He pledged to reform "great institutions to serve the needs of our time. He talked of fighting terrorism by both bearing arms and spreading democracy. He promised that U.S. relations with other countries will turn on how decently they treat their own people. He used the word "tyranny" five times, "liberty" 15 and "freedom" 27.

"We are led, by events and commonsense, to one conclusion," Bush said. "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."

The only reference to Iraq was indirect. "Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill and would be dishonorable to abandon," he said, mindful of impatience on Capitol Hill and in the public.