At the stroke of noon, as the Constitution dictates, President Bush was sworn in for a second term on Thursday and pledged to work to heal a country divided by the Iraq war.

Bush reached out to Democrats in his inaugural address, saying, “We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes, and I will strive in good faith to heal them.”

Before he gave his address, Bush stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on a wintry day before a large crowd, put his hand on a Bible used for his 2001 inauguration and repeated the brief oath to uphold the Constitution, administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

A 21-gun salute rolled over the crowd, including Cabinet officers, Supreme Court justices, former Presidents Bush, Carter and Clinton, lawmakers and Sen. John Kerry, after the swearing-in.

Three hours before his swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill, Bush attended a morning church service with his family at St. John’s Episcopal Church, attended by presidents since it was organized in 1815.

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