US President George W Bush on Thursday took his second oath of office.
With one hand raised and the other on a family Bible, Bush vowed to preserve, protect and defend the US constitution.
In his inaugural address from the steps of Capitol Hill, Bush, 58, the 43rd US president, said, "In a world moving towards liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty."
"The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
He said as long as "whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny", the US would be threatened
Chief Justice William H Rehnquist, 80 and ailing with cancer, administered the oath of office to Bush as his wife Laura and daughters Jenna and Barbara, parents, members of Congress and others watched from specially built stands.
As Bush was being sworn-in, a thick security blanket was in place in and around the Capitol Hill as vast crowd spilled down the Hill and toward the historic National Mall and the monuments beyond.
Without mentioning Iraq or using the word terror, Bush said, "We are led by events and common sense to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depend on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."
However, Bush, whose military campaign in Iraq has come under fire both at home and abroad, asserted the US "does not want to impose our own style of government on the unwilling.
"Our goal instead to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom and make their own way."
His remarks assume significance as Iraq prepares to go elections later this month.
At the same time, he said, "Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfil and would be dishonourable to abandon."
Bush said he would place the nation on the side of the world's oppressed people. "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty. We will stand with you."
Bush said, "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."
Seeking to live down an image at times seen as aggressive, he said spreading freedom "is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary".
Without naming any countries, Bush served notice that "we will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people".
In remarks seen as reference to terrorism, Bush said freedom and liberty were the oldest ideals of America and "now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time".
Bush promised to work with US allies in his second term. "We honour your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help."
Bush, whose Iraq campaign has brought to fore rift among its NATO allies, said, "Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemy's defeat."
The weather was cold; security extraordinarily tight for the nation's 55th inauguration, first since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Sharpshooters were perched on the rooftops of buildings near specially constructed stands at the Capitol. Police stood shoulder to shoulder along the route of the Inaugural parade.