Inaugural Address Delivered By
President George W. Bush
At The 55th Inauguration Of
The President Of The United States
January 20, 2005
Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical—and then there came a day of fire.
We have seen our vulnerability—and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny—prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder—violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. 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.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: 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.
America’s vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security, and the calling of our time.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America’s influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America’s influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom’s cause.
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America’s resolve, and have found it firm.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America’s belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty—though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. 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.
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.”
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom’s enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies’ defeat.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well—a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause—in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives—and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself—and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.
America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home—the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America’s ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance—preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
In America’s ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character—on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before—ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In America’s ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes—and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. 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. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner “Freedom Now”—they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, “It rang as if it meant something.” In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength—tested, but not weary—we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.
Inaugural Invocation Delivered By
The Rev. Dr. Luis León,
Rector Of St. John’s Episcopal Church On Lafayette Square
At The 55th Inauguration Of
The President Of The United States
Most gracious and eternal God, we gather today as a grateful people who enjoy the many blessings you have bestowed on this nation.
We are grateful for your vision, which inspired the founders of our nation to create this democratic experiment–one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
We are grateful that you have brought to these shores a multitude of peoples of many ethnic, religious and language backgrounds and have fashioned one nation out of our many traditions.
We remember before you the members of the armed forces. We commend them to your care. Give them courage to carry out their duties and courage to face the perils which beset them and grant them a sense of your presence in all that they do. (Book of Common Prayer). We pray for their families. Support them and hold them in the palm of your hand while their loved ones are absent from them.
Today, we are especially grateful for this inauguration marking a new beginning in our journey as a people and a nation. We pray that you will shower the elected leaders of this land and especially George, our President, and Richard, our Vice president, with your life-giving spirit. Fill them with a love of truth and righteousness that they may serve you and this nation ably and are glad to do your will. Endow their hearts with your spirit of wisdom that they may lead us in renewing the “ties of mutual respect which form our civic life.” (Book of Common Prayer).
Sustain them as they lead us to exercise our privileges and responsibilities as citizens and residents of this country that we may all work together to eliminate poverty and prejudice so “that peace may prevail with righteousness and justice with order.” (Book of Common Prayer).
Strengthen their resolve as our nation seeks to serve you in this world that this good and generous country may be a blessing to the nations of the world. May they lead us to become, in the words of Martin Luther King, members of a beloved community, loving our neighbors as ourselves so that all of us may more closely come to fulfill the promise of our founding fathers–one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
All this we ask in your most holy name. Amen
(Many of these words and themes are taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.)
[Text and notes provided by Rev. Dr. Luis León]
Inaugural Benediction Delivered By
The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, Senior Pastor Of Windsor Village United Methodist Church In Houston, Texas
At The 55th Inauguration Of
The President Of The United States
Oh Lord God Almighty, the supply and supplier of faith and freedom, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. You are great and greatly to be praised. God, as we conclude this 55th inaugural ceremony, we conclude it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Thank You for protecting America's borders. After all, the Psalmist reminds us, unless You, O God, guard the territory, our efforts will be in vain.
Thank You for our armed service personnel. And it is with unswerving thanksgiving that we pause to remember the persons who have made the ultimate sacrifice to help ensure America's safety. Thank You, O God, for surrounding our personnel, their families, their friends and our allies with Your favor and Your faithfulness.
Deploy Your hosts from heaven so that Your will for America will be performed on earth as it is already perfected in heaven. I confess that Your face will shine upon the United States of America, granting us social peace and economic prosperity, particularly for the weary and the poor.
I also confess, God, that each American's latter days will be better than their former days. Let it be unto us according to Your Word.
Rally the Republicans, the Democrats and the independents around Your common good so that America will truly become one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, justice and equal opportunity for all—including the least, the last and the lost.
Bless every elected official right now. God, I declare Your blessings to shower upon our President, George W. Bush. Bless him, his family and his administration. I once again declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper.
God, forgive us for becoming so ensnarled in petty partisan politics that we miss Your glory and block our purpose. Deliver us from the evil one, from evil itself and from the mere appearance of evil.
Give us clean hearts, so that we might have clean agendas, clean priorities and programs and even clean financial statements.
Now, unto You, O God, the One who always has been and always will be, the one King of kings and the true power broker, we glorify and honor You.
Respecting persons of all faiths, I humbly submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Inaugural Prayer Service
Washington National Cathedral
January 21st, 2005
President Bush opened his first official day of his second term with a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, following the tradition set by America’s first president.
Prayers, homilies and blessings from dozens of clergy from different faiths and denominations were heard by over 3,200 invited family members, dignitaries, administration officials and other guests.
Scheduled for the prayer service were:
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington
The Right Reverend A. Theodore Eastman, Vicar of Washington National Cathedral
The Reverend Mark Craig, Dallas, Texas
The Reverend Billy Graham, Charlotte, North Carolina
Rabbi Morton Yolkut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bishop G. E. Patterson, Memphis, Tennesee
The Reverend Luis Cortes, Jr., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Metropolitan Herman Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of all America and Canada Orthodox Church of America, Syosset, New York
His Eminence William Cardinal Keeler, Baltimore, Maryland
Imam Yahya Hendi Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University, Washington, DC (Did not participate as scheduled because of illness, according to a spokesperson.)
His Eminence Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Washington, DC
Archbishop Demetrios Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, New York, New York
Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell, Houston, Texas
The Reverend Canon Mary Sulerud, Washington, DC
Rev. Billy Graham prayed the opening prayer at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service, during which time he said he believed God had a hand in President Bush’s re-election: “Our father, we acknowledge your divine help in the selection of our nation’s leaders throughout history,” he said. “We believe that, in your providence, you have granted a second term of office to our President.”
“Their next four years are hidden from us, but they are not hidden from you. 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.”
The 86-year-old Graham prayed for America over the next four years: “Renew our vision, restore our faith and rekindle our desire to love and to serve all humanity.”
Rev. Mark Craig delivered the main sermon at the National Prayer Service. He is pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas where the President and First Lady Laura Bush have been members for more than 10 years. Rev. Craig was invited by Laura Bush to deliver the keynote sermon.
Rev. Craig spoke optimistically, drawing on his personal experiences. Remarking that he had once been knocked down as a 17-year-old Golden Gloves boxer in Fort Worth, Rev. Craig said that Americans exemplify the same resilience after the 9/11 tragedy.
“I had the self-confidence to know that, in my life, I could get knocked down and I could get back up,” Rev. Craig said. “America always gets back up off the canvas.”
“We are a compassionate people and a loving people, and we are a moral people,” he said. “Our compassion is not liberal; our compassion is not conservative; our compassion is not libertarian.”
“Our compassion is in the very heart and soul of every American citizen.”
“He [God] gives us 86,400 seconds — one day — every day of our lives,” Rev. Craig said. “He says spend it any way you want, for good or for ill. The way we spend our 86,400 seconds — this treasure that God has given us, one day — greatly determines the quality of our lives.”
“We are a nation of faith. We believe that in difficult times, we will persevere.”
“We believe that in difficult times, God will lift us up and give us the hand we need to be victorious in our lives as individuals, and as a nation. We always respond to challenge.”
