Daily Briefing: Inauguration Wrap
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• Bushpledges "ultimate goal" is "ending tyranny in our world"; uses words "free," "freedom," or liberty 49 times, though no mention of "Afghanistan," "Sept. 11," "Iraq," or "terrorism." [ WP , NYT , WSJ , LAT , USAT , WT , BG ]
• Bush outlines ambitious, idealist, big-picture philosophy: "America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one." [ WP , NYT , USAT , BG ]
• Cheneyon Iran: "We don't want a war in the Middle East, if we can avoid it"; speculates Israel may initiate military action. [ WP , NYT ]
•American flags set on fire; apples and bananas were taken from bystanders; crowd estimated at 265,000 for swearing-in, 150,000 for parade; 13,000 law enforcement; 65 arrests. [ WP , WP , WP , WP , USAT ]
• Rehnquistseen as "proud man struggling."Bushsays it was "incredibly moving." [ WP , NYT , WSJ , USAT , WT ]
•Speech doesn't jive with foreign policy. Human Rights Watch director: "The decision to speak in terms of liberty instead of human rights was deliberate... [It's] difficult to say I'm for human rights when he's overseeing what we know is a conscious policy of coercive interrogation, including inhuman treatment and sometimes torture." [ WP , LAT ]
•It's allBush: "Even though this is his second inaugural, for 43 this is his show." [ NYT ]
• Bushesquickly hit inaugural balls. [ USAT ]
•Protesters stage "die-in." [ USAT , NYT ]
•Congressional Republicans peeved about delay inRicevote. [ NYT ]
• Johanns, Spellingsconfirmed by Senate. [ LAT , USAT , WT ]
• Kerry"seemed to embrace the role of loser with ironic amusement"; other just seeking a good view. [ WP , NYT ]
•On the Hill,Bushis welcomed by brief bipartisanship. [ WP ]
• Clintonlunches withRove. [ NYT ]
•Foreign press recognize religious tones of speech. [ WP ]
• Shales: "The delivery lacked heart and soul." [ WP ]
• Givhan: Laura's dress is "undeniable evidence her aesthetic sensibility has become more sophisticated, more refined and unabashedly rich." [ WP ]
•Collection of stories from the big day. [ WP ]
• Stanley: "[T]he network anchors were as submissive as the Republicans were dominant." [ NYT ]
• Patakithrows elaborate party for Iowa delegation in bid to outshineGiulianion road to '08. [ NYT ]
•And the jockeying begins.Matthew Dowd: "If you go back and look, 2008 will be the first election in modern times when there is no heir apparent on either side. It's amazing. It's a happenstance of history." [ NYT ]