by Askia Muhammad
White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)--George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States with only one minor "hitch." Just like on Election Day, there may have been more people present at the Inaugural Parade and at other sites Jan. 20 who were protesting his "selection" by the Supreme Court than were here to celebrate his election by the voters.

In his inaugural address, an emotional Mr. Bush issued a call for compassion and civility in public life and pledged himself to "work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity."

"Sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent and not a country," he said in reference to the bitter post-election struggle to accurately count all the votes in Florida that went on for more than a month after the voting ended.

Mr. Bush challenged both elected officials and ordinary citizens to take some of the responsibility of helping him bring the country together, while for himself he offered "my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity."

Still, as many as 100,000 demonstrators endured cold temperatures and steady rain all day, as well as the tightest security in Inaugural Parade history in order to protest the massive disenfranchisement of Black voters in Florida and other states which�with the help of a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court�decided the election in Mr. Bush�s favor, and to voice their opposition to the policies the new president promised to enact.

"America at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility," Mr. Bush said on the steps of the West Front of the Capitol�the site of the Million Family March. "A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness."

While some Congressional Black Caucus members were willing to look for the "more areas to be in agreement on than we are in disagreement about," others turned their backs, boycotting the inaugural ceremony just as they protested the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote which officially elected Mr. Bush.

Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) was one of the CBC members who went more than half way to meet the new Republican president, co-hosting an Inaugural Prayer Luncheon, sponsored by the conservative Washington Times newspaper. "The theme of the luncheon was to try to unify America�s thought and action in working to solve the most difficult problems of the day, notwithstanding who is in the president�s office," Mr. Davis told The Final Call.

"I try to approach my work with a certain level of reality in mind. One reality of our world is we know it evolved out of conflict, and conflict is inevitable. I don�t expect to agree with everything the new president proposes, but I�m willing to meet him half way in terms of what is in the interest of the people I represent. When his proposals don�t reflect the best interest of the people I represent, I expect to oppose him with every fiber of vigor I can muster," he said.

CBC member Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) similarly expressed a wait-and-see attitude. "Many of my constituents voted for him" and came to town for the festivities, she told The Final Call. She not only attended the inauguration, she hosted two brunches in her office for residents from her district from Long Beach, Compton, and even South Central Los Angeles attending the swearing in.

"I sure hope (Pres. Bush) proves us wrong" about our fears of him, agreed a Black Capitol Hill employee who asked not to be identified.

"The clarion call has gone out that the votes of all Americans count and must be counted," countered Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), who said "democracy weeps" at the advent of the Bush presidency. "America�s powerless and disenfranchised will never be the same, because they will never forget."

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) boycotted the inauguration, announcing that she could "not in good conscience celebrate the inauguration of George W. Bush when in Florida, thousands of Americans were harassed, turned away, or otherwise disenfranchised in the November elections. This travesty of justice and democracy must never happen again, and to that end, I have pledged to make the case at every appropriate opportunity that we need election reform in this country, and we need it now!"

Pres. Bush takes pains to sound moderate, said Sherry Gorelick, an associate professor of Sociology and Women�s Studies at Rutgers University, but he is really "very dangerous. This is the way fascism starts, in a very unobtrusive way, people don�t notice what�s happening, and then it�s here," she warned, recalling that just as in Europe where there is a long history of anti-Semitism, there is a history of racism and anti-Semitism throughout U.S. history.

"Republicans keep saying the election�s done, it�s over," Brooklyn resident Teresa Nielsen Hayden told The Final Call. "No it isn�t. The issues are still here. I�m not exactly a screaming radical. I�m a solid citizen, but this is just wrong and I�m here to say it," she said, an American flag in one hand, and a sign reading, "I won�t get over it," in the other.