US President George W. Bush said on the eve of his inauguration that he was ready for four more years in the White House, pledging to unite the country during his second term.-- Yahoo file

US President George W. Bush used the word "freedom" at least 27 times in his 17-minute inaugural speech Thursday as he took the oath of office for the second term, vowing to sprea d freedom around the world.

Bush was sworn in by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist on the steps of the US Capitol as about 100,000 people, including three former presidents, members of Congress and other celebrities, witnessed.

He put his hand on the family Bible he used for his first inauguration in 2001 and repeated the brief oath of office to uphold the Constitution.

Bush tried to put his theme in the context of history as he talked about the so-called US obligations to foster freedom in the world in his 17-minute speech.

"At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together," Bush said."There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment ... and that is the force of human freedom."

"We are led by events and common sense to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands," he said.

Bush's speech has gone through at least 21 drafts as he tried to make it a timeless piece in stead of a policy statement about specific initiatives for his second term. Aides have said his speech was designed to be inspirational.

"The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world," Bush said.

Bush did not mention Afghanistan or Iraq, the two countries with which he had launched wars in his first term, but he indicated that spreading peace and freedom would guide his policy in the second term.

"So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world," he said.

Bush's first term was marked by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He faced domestic challenges such as Social Security reform and job creation in the second term.

But the tone of his inaugural speech signalized that his top policy priority in the second term might be the continuation of the hard-line foreign policy he pursed in the first term.

"America's influence is considerable and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause," he said.

"From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to usare narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom, and did our character bring credit to that cause?" he said.

Vice President Dick Cheney, the architect of the Iraqi war and the main policy designer of the Bush administration, was sworn in for his second term minutes before Bush's inauguration.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush attended the ceremony held on the west front of the Capitol on a chilly day with the ground blanketed by a coat of snow.

Security was extremely tight for the nation's 55th inauguration,also the first since the Sept. 11 attacks. Concrete barriers and steel security fences were in place across the city and traffic was blocked for 100 blocks of streets near the event.

There were small protest demonstrations at scattered locations.No clash was reported.