President Bush Takes Oath of Office

W A S H I N G T O N, Jan. 20, 2001 -- After a day of speeches, parades and some work, the newly-sworn in President George W. Bush said it was a 'time for dancing' at one of the inaugural balls he and first lady Laura Bush attended tonight.

"Before getting to work, there's some dancing to be done," Bush told a crowd at the inaugural ball for Texas and Wyoming.

Promising to break the 30-second mark for dancing time, President Bush took his wife by the waist and did the box step before more than 10,000 cheering supporters.

The first lady, wearing a floor-length, long-sleeved red sparkling dress with a sequined floral pattern, smiled as her husband looked at his watch.

The Bushes had visited two other inaugural balls earlier in the evening, one at the Ronald Reagan Building and the other in Union Station.

Bush Calls for Civility and Couraged

Earlier in the day he called for a period of "civility, courage, compassion, and character," George W. Bush took the oath of office today as the nation's 43rd president.

With his father, former president George Bush, standing behind him, the new president was sworn in just after noon on the Capitol steps under a gray, drizzling sky. Bush is only the second son of a former commander-in-chief — John Quincy Adams was the first — to assume the role himself.

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist administered the oath of office to Vice President Dick Cheney and then to Bush, who narrowly won one of the most unusual presidential elections in history after a five-week struggle of recounts and legal challenges.

Former Vice President Al Gore, Bush's defeated opponent in the prolonged election, stood nearby on the platform as the new president took the oath.

Bush's wife, Laura, and 19-year-old twin daughters, Jenna andBarbara, stood alongside as he took the oath — his hand on the samehistoric Bible his father used in 1989. The elder Bush stood behind his son, wiping back a tear.

During his inaugural address, which lasted an unusually quick 15 minutes, Bush told the Washington crowd: "I will live and lead by these principles: To advance my convictions with civility; to pursue the public interest with courage; to speak for greater justice and compassion; to call for responsibility, and try to live it as well."

His eyes glossy with emotion, Bush also asked Americans to heed his call for a new "responsibility era."

"I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor," Bush said. "I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, notsubjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and anation of character."

Acknowledging the persistence of division in the nation and lack of opportunity for some Americans, Bush said he would work "to build a single nation of justice and opportunity."

7 Cabinet Nominees Confirmed

Thousands of spectators lined the parade route as Bush's motorcade moved from the Capitol to the White House this afternoon. Along the route on Pennsylvania Avenue, cheering Bush supporters mixed with protesters booing and carrying signs such as "Hail to the Thief" and "Impeach Bush."

The first couple got out of their limousine and walked the last block of the parade to the White House before entering their new home as residents for the first time.

Earlier, after the swearing-in, Bush, Cheney, former President Clinton and Gore said their ceremonial goodbyes on the east Capitol steps. The first couple then proceeded to the inaugural luncheon in Statuary Hall. (Read the menus and recipes here.)

As Clinton left the White House after eight years, Bush wasted little time in exercising his presidential powers. He signed the first executive orders of his presidency, setting ethics guidelines for his administration and declaring a national day of prayer.

Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, also issued a memorandum aimed at delaying a variety of Clinton's last-minute executive orders and rules.

The U.S. Senate convened shortly after the inaugural luncheon and confirmed Bush's nominations of Colin Powell as secretary of state, Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary and Paul O'Neill as head of the treasury.

Also confirmed were Don Evans as commerce secretary,Spencer Abraham as energy secretary, Ann Veneman as agriculturesecretary and Roderick Paige as education secretary.

A lighter symbol of the transition of power: Shortly after Bush took the presidential oath, a new message appeared on the official White House Web site. Replacing pages praising the Clinton administration is now a note announcing the inauguration of the 43rd president and vice president.

The president has already set aside much of the first week of his presidency to focus on education, including a Tuesday ceremony at the White House tosubmit his educational package to Congress.

Bipartisan Praise

After the inaugural address, Republicans and Democrats were quick to praise the message of the newly-inaugurated president. "The overall appeal today was for citizen government," said Gov. John Engler, R-Mich. "To keep democracy vibrant everybody's got to participate. 'Do your part' was today's message."

Despite the bitterly partisan tone of the close election, Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey said Bush struck the right tone.

"It was a lot of what I wanted to hear," he said. "Anyone can come out and give an inaugural address celebrating our prosperity, but you recognize that some Americans are not participating in it."

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said Bush's speech made him hopeful for bipartisanship under the new administration.

"It was absolutely excellent," he said. "We nodded to each other with great pleasure, Democrats and Republicans, and said, 'We'll make it work for him.'"

Engler said it's up to Democrats to cooperate with the new president. "His outstretched hand will be seen, and if it isn't taken that also will be seen."

Amid Tight Security, Protesters Gather

Today's celebrations were not without conflict. Groups of hundreds of protesters opposing Bush's policies gathered near the Capitol and elsewhere throughout Washington.

Demonstrators carried signs protesting the outcome of the disputed election along with Bush's positions on issues such as the death penalty and abortion rights.

Police and protesters have predicted the largest inaugural demonstrator presence since tens of thousands marched against the Vietnam War at the inaugural for Richard M. Nixon in 1973. Police and inaugural security officials are on high alert.

ABCNEWS.com's Geraldine Sealey and Carter Yang contributed to this report.