Bush declares himself "ready for the job" [View All]

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137556,00.html

WASHINGTON — President Bush (search) on Thursday vowed to reach out to the whole nation while pursuing his agenda over his second term, saying that "the voters of America set the direction of our nation for the next four years."

"I'm honored by the support of our fellow citizens and I'm ready for the job," Bush told reporters in the Old Executive Office Building during his first post-election press conference.

Items Bush is likely to move quickly on include reforms to the nation's intelligence community, halving the record $413 billion deficit, expanding health care coverage, pushing for a constitutional ban on gay marriage and moving "this goodhearted nation toward a culture of life."

"I think the president will do well to remember that 49 percent of the American people didn't vote for him … I hope he will try to reconcile this country," Burns said. "It would be the best thing he could do as president and it would be a good thing for his legacy." Don Riegle, a former Democratic senator from Michigan, noted that 55 million people voted to oust Bush from office — a fact the newly re-elected president shouldn't take lightly.