Heavy security for Bush inauguration
Washington DC was shrouded in a cloak of steel tonight as the United States prepared to celebrate President George 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 between 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 manned by the secret service.
Security chiefs hope frosty weather conditions and the possibility of snow may reduce the number of spectators, including thousands planning to hold up proceedings with huge demonstrations.
Some half a million people are expected to descend on the city to witness President Bush take the oath on the Capitol steps before a parade of more than 10,000 band members marches the traditional 1.7-mile route to the White House.
In a 23-minute speech the President 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 around the world.
The four day fiesta of pomp and circumstance is estimated to cost some £20m, 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 £0.7m.
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 receive tickets to one of the candlelit dinners, through which President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and their wives will dash tonight.
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 include oil companies Exxon-Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, Time-Warner, and Michael Dell, owner of the Dell computer giant.
As he prepared to take his second oath today President Bush visited the national archives to contemplate some of the most treasured US historical documents, including first President George Washington’s inaugural speech.
Asked whether he was feeling the history of the moment, he replied “absolutely”.
President Bush and his wife Laura studied original versions of the Declaration of Independence so faded that most signatures were illegible; the Constitution; the Bill of Rights; and Washington’s address and Bible.
