The Hiller Instinct: Hiller Instinct: Presidential Inauguration

The president's second inaugural address almost made his first sound like ancient history...almost.

Rewind four years to January, 2001--when he was first sworn in. The only war in Washington then was a war of words:

President George W. Bush, 2001
"Some seem to believe our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small."

The president did have a warning...but who really knew what it would mean now?

President George W. Bush, 2001
"We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors."

President George W. Bush, 2005
"At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together."

Togetherness was a key theme today, as Bush reached out to allies frustrated by his go-it-alone foreign policy...promising change:

President George W. Bush, 2005
"We honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help."

But some things haven't changed. Once again today, the president faces a nation split by politics, conviction, and emotion:

President George W. Bush, 2005
"We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes...and I will strive in good faith to heal them."

Which is very close to what he said four years ago, before 9/11 and the war on terror:

President George W. Bush, 2001
"Sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country."

After his re-election, President Bush claimed a mandate. But no poll out today finds it. Instead, a majority of Americans say they disapprove of the way he's handling Iraq and the economy. Still, his confidence inspires hope. So his second term shapes up like his first - decisive, and divisive.