Inaugural Address

WASHINGTON -- If President Bush's inaugural address conjured up an image of an American colossus astride the globe, the reaction at the White House to how the speech was widely perceived brought a different image to me. His aides' rapid retreat from the president's message reminded me of former Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox wowing onlookers by pedaling a bicycle backward. Presidential aides seemed astonished that their boss' declaration to seek "the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in the world" was taken as a bold extension of the Bush Doctrine of pre-emption that sent U.S. forces into Iraq in 2003.

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Mahmoud Abbas, formally taking office as head of the Palestinian Authority, used his inaugural address yesterday to urge Israel to return to peace negotiations "so that we can end, once and for all, the historic conflict between us." Abbas, who was elected by an overwhelming margin Jan. 9, took the oath of office a day after Israel suspended official contacts with Palestinian leaders after an attack Thursday by militant groups in Gaza that left six Israelis dead.

For the past seven years, Mark Kennedy Shriver has sat in the second-to-last row of the Maryland House of Delegates absorbing what he could about the legislative process. But it's hard to stay in the relative background of Annapolis when Washington beckons and so much is expected of you. So the 37-year-old Democratic state delegate, a product of two of America's most celebrated families, is doing what younger members of his clan have done almost as a rite of passage: seeking political ascension.

WASHINGTON - At the outset of his speech last night, President Bush reminded Congress that in his inaugural address last month, "I asked you to join me in setting a tone of civility and respect in Washington." He added, "I hope America is noticing the difference. We are making progress. Together we are changing the tone of our nation's capital." Then, in case America hadn't noticed, he went on to give a demonstration of that new tone in his crisp and conciliatory speech, and Congress responded in kind, receiving it with marked civility considering the partisan bitterness engendered by his election.

The Constitution has little to say about the inauguration of a president: "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will do so to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." George Washington began the custom of adding the words "So help me God." Each president also has the task of reading an inaugural address.

HISTORIAN Arthur Schlesinger once labeled the presidential inaugural address as "an inferior art form [with a high] platitude quotient" and "few surprises." In fact, Mr. Schlesinger is right about most, but not all, inaugurals. For example, try this one: What 19th-century president said in his first inaugural address: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

WASHINGTON -- On the eve of the inauguration of the new president, the traditional anticipation of the event has been tempered here by a degree of apprehension, evinced by the heavy security measures being taken and a distinct air of uncertainty about the president-elect. A record number of protest groups has applied for and received police permits to demonstrate along the line of march and elsewhere in the capital. Also, unprecedented precautions, including electronic metal detectors at strategic points, will channel and monitor the flow of spectators to the inauguration parade.

WASHINGTON -- Ever since his re-election, President Clinton has served notice that he intends his second term to be one that realistically takes into consideration the political environment of split power between his White House and the Republican-controlled Congress.His second inaugural address clearly reflected that realization. VTC The president remarked pointedly that his first term ''resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government,'' between those (like old New Dealers)

WASHINGTON -- At Henry IV's coronation, the archbishop anointed the king with oil said to have been given to Thomas a Becket by the Virgin Mary (and the archbishop found the king's hair aswarm with lice).Republics, favoring simplicity, have less exotic civic liturgies -- no stately ranks of bishops or oceans of ermine and silk. Republics rely on rhetoric to quicken the public pulse. America's pulse probably stayed steady during President Clinton's bland, formulaic inaugural address, but he could not expect to excite while declaring the end of political excitements.

WHAT IS President Clinton's vision of government's correct role? In his inaugural address yesterday as he set forth on his second term, he addressed this question with more specificity than any other. Listen to his words:"As times change, so government must change. We need a new government for a new century, a government humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us, but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves. A government that is smaller, lives within its means, and does more with less.