WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) said Monday he has "a big agenda in mind" for his second term that begins this week and that four years is going to be a short time to meet all his goals.
"We got to get moving and get some things done before ? before people kind of write me off," Bush told CBS News in an interview.
He said he hopes that with his final election behind him, Republicans and Democrats in Congress will work together to pass his legislation. Unity will be the most important theme of his inaugural address on Thursday, he said.
"By uniting we can get a lot done in terms of securing the peace in the long-term for our citizens and getting a lot done to make sure our citizens have got choices in life and more opportunities in America," Bush said in the taped interview.
He said he'll announce his "big agenda" at the State of the Union address in two weeks, but it will reflect his campaign promises. Those include overehauling Social Security (news - web sites) and the legal liability system; improving the tax code, school standards and the budget process; and making health care accessible to more Americans.
Besides Bush's swearing in on Thursday, the inaugural week festivities include a salute to America's military and several lavish balls. Bush said he doesn't think it's excessive despite the war and last month's devastating tsunami, although he told CBS, "I've never been much of a dancer, and the idea of going to 11 balls might be viewed as excessive."
Bush said it's important to celebrate a "peaceful transfer of power" and that he suspects inauguration guests have been generous in donating to tsunami victims. "You can be equally concerned about our troops in Iraq (news - web sites) and those who suffered at the tsunamis with celebrating democracy," he said.
The president opened his inaugural week Monday with a salute to one of his most recognizable departing Cabinet members and the late Martin Luther King Jr. on a holiday dedicated to the civil rights leader.
Bush presented outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and his wife, Alma, with the John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award during an afternoon ceremony at the Kennedy Center, calling Powell "one of the most effective and admired diplomats in America's history."
"More than four years ago when I needed a secretary of state, I knew what I was looking for," the president said. "I wanted someone who believed deeply in the values of our country and could share them with the world, a person of wisdom and decency, a leader who could bring out the best in people. I found all this and more in Colin Powell."
Powell was often seen as out of step ideologically with other senior officials in Bush's administration but has remained the most popular administration official in poll after poll. He announced his resignation after Bush was re-elected and the president nominated national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) to take his place.
Facebook
Twitter