By Deborah Zabarenko
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - George W. Bush (news -
web sites) opened his inauguration revels on Thursday
with a discreet shimmy with Latin pop star Ricky Martin
on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
``Come, let's go onstage,'' Martin said to Bush, holding
out a hand and drawing the president-elect into the
spotlight. ``Let's give him a big applause.''
Once at center stage in front of thousands of spectators,
Bush gamely cocked a hip and put a gloved hand to his
ear to listen for applause from the crowd -- as Martin had
just done in his musical number ``Cup of Life''.
Bush also tried a brief dance move with both hands on his
hips.
After that, Bush's wife Laura, his vice president-elect Dick Cheney
(news -
web sites) and other political powers who had been sitting in
a VIP box on
the specially built stage at the memorial joined Bush and Martin
in a
center-stage gathering that also included country singers, an
Olympic
swimmer, Andrew Lloyd Webber and CNN talk show host Larry King.
From that vantage point, the group had a good view of fireworks
concluding
the two-hour program that officially opened the inauguration
festivities. The
celebrations will continue through Saturday, when Bush will be
sworn in as
president.
Bush was at the center of the crowd, but managed to introduce
his twin
daughters Barbara and Jenna to Martin. He then joined hands with
his wife
and, along with Cheney and Cheney's wife Lynn, ascended the marble
steps
to the chamber that holds a heroic-sized statue of Abraham Lincoln
before
leaving the grounds.
Wide Swath Of Americana
It was the finale to a two-hour program that covered a wide swath
of
Americana, from country duo Brooks and Dunn to opera diva Denise
Graves, from boxing great Muhammed Ali to Las Vegas legend Wayne
Newton from the high-kicking Radio City Rockettes dance troupe
to the
U.S. Navy Band.
Bush managed to put it into perspective in his short remarks near
the end of
the program.
Following Cheney to the podium, Bush said, ``Well, thank you,
Mr. Vice
President-elect. There's a lot of excitement in the air. And
I'm not sure if it's
because people came to see you or Ricky Martin.''
More seriously, Bush said he found it ``deeply
humbling'' to realize he would soon hold the same
office as Lincoln, one of America's most revered
presidents. ``I'm honored to serve, and I am ready
to start,'' Bush said.
Under cloudy skies and intermittent drizzle expected to continue
through
Saturday, the show began at mid-afternoon with music from ``West
Side
Story'' and an invocation to ``Let the celebrations begin and
the political wars
cease.''
The first performer was Tiffany Ameen, a 17-year-old from New
Orleans
who sang ``Amazing Grace.''
Then there was an impressionistic campaign film about Bush, his
early years
in Midland, Texas, his marriage to Laura and the birth of their
twin daughters.
Also prominent in the film -- shown on a giant display along
Washington's
central Mall -- were Bush's father, former President George Bush,
and his
mother Barbara.
There were huge projections of black-and-white photos of the incoming
president and first lady, apparently taken during the 2000 presidential
campaign, one of the most closely fought in U.S. history.
There was also a parachute jump by the Golden Knights military
sky-diving
team, as well as a military fly-over.
Washington's central outdoor Mall was decorated for the occasion,
with huge
platforms built on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, with massive
American
flags draped from five of its windows.
The theme for this 54th U.S. presidential inauguration is ''Celebrating
America's Spirit Together,'' in keeping with Bush's political
campaign theme
of being ``a uniter, not a divider.''
On the official Web site for the festivities --
http://www.inauguration-2001.org -- Bush said in a statement,
''The inaugural
events we have planned are designed to honor our nation's traditions
and our
unique achievements as Americans.''