"I was thrilled and surprised," said Hatch, who did not know until Wednesday the song was on the program.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., organizer of the inaugural swearing-in activities, actually pressed the White House to have the song sung at the inaugural after hearing Phipps sing it at a GOP fund-raiser.

Bush, 58, emerged from the Capitol onto the south steps shortly before noon, placed his hand on a family Bible and took the oath of office from Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

During Bush's subsequent inaugural address, protesters who infiltrated the Republican faithful on the Washington Mall shouted "Stop the war" and booed. But with each shout, the crowd simply drowned out the hecklers with cheers for the president and chants of "USA."

Bush either didn't notice the hecklers or ignored them.

It was a day of decorum and ceremony, with the most powerful leaders in government, Democrats and Republicans alike, applauding the peaceful culmination of an election process that left the nation deeply divided. Even Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the losing Democratic standard-bearer, who sat only about 20 feet away from the president, applauded politely and smiled from time to time.

"It was not so much what the president said that struck me," said Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, "but how, despite the competition and battles, we come together as a country to celebrate the office."

Matheson called it truly remarkable that former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George Bush would "be united in purpose," standing together in support of a process whereby all Americans celebrate a peaceful elections process.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was impressed with the speech, the first inaugural address he has attended in person.

"I thought he hit a good balance between a policy statement and just giving broad overviews of what the country should be," Bishop said. "He addressed why he has done what he has over the past four years, his emphasis on freedom and pushing that as an overall philosophy."

Bush's inaugural address touched on a variety of issues including public service, reforming Social Security, setting higher education standards and creating an "ownership society." He also reached out, pledging to do his part to heal the divisions resulting from the rancorous election.

"By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear and make our society more prosperous and just and equal."