President Bush goes back to work Friday after a day of celebration as he was sworn into office for a second and final four-year term.
At one of several inauguration balls he attended late Thursday, Mr. Bush told revelers he is looking forward to putting his "heart and soul" into making the country as promising as it can be, and the world as peaceful as possible.
Hours earlier, after taking the oath of office in front of a huge crowd at a ceremony outside the U.S. Capitol building, President Bush told the nation that liberty in the United States "increasingly depends on the success of liberty" in other countries.
Mr. Bush said in his inaugural address that it is U.S. policy to support democratic movements in every nation with the goal of ending tyranny throughout the world.
After the ceremony, the president rode in a heavily-guarded motorcade down Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue past thousands of cheering supporters, and a number of jeering, sign-waving protesters. The protests were mostly peaceful, although minor scuffles broke out between some demonstrators and Bush supporters.
Inaugural activities wrap up today with a prayer service at Washington's National Cathedral at 1500UTC.
Information for this story is provided by Reuters, AFP and AP.