A NEW BEGINNING.

• Author: Sanger, David E.

President Bush comes into office after one of the longest and most bitter election battles in U.S. history. Will he be able to govern?

On January 20, George W. Bush will stand in the cold winter wind on a huge platform in front of the Capitol, place one hand on the Bible, and take the oath of office as 43rd President of the United States.

Next to him will be his wife, Laura, without whom, friends say, he would never have made it to the White House. When he turned 40, she persuaded him to stop drinking, ending a problem that would have prevented his political career.

A few feet away will be another person responsible for Bush's election: outgoing President Bill Clinton. If it had not been for the scandals that enveloped him and tainted the Democratic effort, Bush probably would never have been elected. And also on the stage will be the departing Vice President, Al Gore, who won the popular vote for President and, in the eyes of some Democrats, should rightfully be standing in Bush's place.

THE TIE-BREAKER

And then, holding the Bible and administering the oath will be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, William Rehnquist. Without his vote in the historic case of Bush v. Gore, in which the Supreme Court essentially decided the election, Bush would likely not be standing there at all.

While most inaugurations represent the crowning moment of a political career, in the case of George Walker Bush, 54, the solemn event will end up being a reminder too of the extraordinary circumstances of his election. Ending in a barrage of lawsuits, it was the most divisive election in more than a hundred years, and the only one in U.S. history whose outcome was decided by the Supreme Court.

The former Texas Governor rides into office on a pledge to bring the country together and end the partisan bickering in Washington. "I'm a uniter, not a divider," he frequently says. But little did he imagine just how big a job that would turn out to be.

Bush takes the oath knowing that the majority of voters preferred his opponent, and faces a Congress that is the most evenly divided in decades. In addition, questions abound about Bush's lack of experience, and many Democrats still consider him "the accidental President," who would not be in office were it not for the intervention of the Supreme Court. "There will always be this sense that there was some larceny involved in this election," says Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.).

Moving into the White House with...