Washington braces for inauguration

WASHINGTON DC was shrouded in a cloak of steel last night as Republicans prepared to celebrate George W Bush’s inauguration amid unprecedented levels of security.

The capital was gradually closed off to the public as the tightest post-September 11 security plan was rolled out under the watchful eye of thousands of undercover agents and police.

As security fences and barriers went up, manholes were welded shut and hotels and offices swept by teams of officials.

Fighter jets soared over the grand buildings and thousands of law enforcement personnel streamed to command posts.

Anti-aircraft missiles have been deployed within range of the Capitol despite recent intelligence confirming there is no specific threat of a terrorist plot. But airspace over Washington will be closed with helicopters transmitting images to a crisis centre.

Security chiefs hope frosty weather conditions and the possibility of snow may reduce the number of spectators, including thousands planning huge demonstrations.

Half-a-million people are expected to descend on the city to witness Mr Bush take the oath on the Capitol steps before a parade of more than 10,000 band members marches the traditional 2.7-kilometre route to the White House.

In a 23-minute speech Mr Bush will then lay out his vision for the next four years. His message, beamed to television sets around the world, is expected to focus on spreading democracy.

The four-day fiesta of pomp and circumstance is estimated to cost almost e31 million, making it the most expensive inauguration in US history.

Largely funded by corporate America, business leaders have been lured to the capital by hotel packages worth up to €770,000.

In return, many of America’s most powerful are rewarded with valuable minutes with the president at one of nine inaugural balls.

The heaviest donors also received tickets to one of the candlelit dinners, through which Mr Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and their entourage dashed last night.

Tickets were distributed to those who chipped in €180,000 or €72,000 to the inauguration. Corporations and individuals are strictly limited in how much they can donate to political campaigns but while inaugural events are not covered by such restrictions, the Bush administration set a limit of €180,000 for donors.

Donors include industrial groups, financiers and lobbyists who have been signing cheques running into hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure tickets to the main events.

Among the heaviest reported contributors are oil companies Exxon-Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, Time-Warner, and Michael Dell, owner of Dell computers.

As he prepared to take his second oath yesterday, Mr Bush visited the national archives to contemplate some of the most treasured US historical documents, including first US President George Washington’s inaugural speech.

Mr Bush and his wife Laura studied original versions of the Declaration of Independence so faded that most signatures were illegible, the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.