While Republicans agreed that President George W. Bush was as confident as ever in his inaugural speech, Democrats perceived his poise to be unjustified bravado.

Bush took his oath of office at noon yesterday and spoke about freedom, liberty and international responsibility of the United States.

"The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands," Bush said. "The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."

College Republicans staff adviser Charles Gable said Bush was clear while presenting his message.

"I was struck by how precise he was and by how short the speech was," he said. "Although it was short, he was clear about his message of promoting freedom and liberty throughout the world."

Meanwhile, the College Democrats traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the "counter-inaugural demonstration."

Leigh Patterson, a member of the College Democrats, said Bush focused too much on foreign policy and not enough on domestic issues.

She added that in his discussion of foreign policy, Bush was definitely more confident in his demeanor.

"I think he was much more confident than he was during the debates," Patterson said, "but definitely a little cocky by saying that he had a mandate."

Many students gathered around the HUB-Robeson Center TV to watch the ceremony yesterday. One enthusiastic Bush supporter watched the inaugural ceremony by holding an array of American flags.

"It's just to show support for the president, democracy, the peaceful reaffirming of executive power and the unification of the people behind it," Jon Dandrea (senior- international politics) said.

He added that the speech had an overall positive tone.

"Even though it's a great example of [an] oratory, it also has actions, policies and commitments to back it up," Dandrea said. "His message of unity appeals to the ideals of all American people -- Republican, Democratic and Independent."

Some people, however, were not as enthusiastic and positive as Dandrea.

Centre Country Democrat chairman Bob Shepherd said he did not watch Bush's speech.

"I heard about it, and it sounded like the same old swaggering braggadocio," Shepherd said. "So, I'm glad I missed it."

David Schmidt (graduate-geography) said Bush was as confident as ever, but in a positive way.

"I think he laid out some ambitious plans," Schmidt said. "It was well-written, confident, optimistic and focused on both liberty and freedom at home and abroad."

Schmidt said Bush has a perfect opportunity to be active in a divided country and make plans to bring people together.

Sharon Bubis (senior-public relations) also said Bush seemed more "gung-ho" in his beliefs since his last inaugural address before Sept. 11, 2001.

"I thought it was a good speech, but I felt a big part of it was just him trying to get approval for the war in Iraq," Bubis said. "That's fine, but what can he do for the American people in Social Security and to increase jobs and decrease unemployment?"

Prateek Bhopale (freshman-chemical engineering) also wanted to hear more ideas from Bush.

"It was more generic, and the same rhetoric as usual," Bhopale said. "Despite his spirited phrases, I didn't catch any clear commands about what he'd do in the future."

--The Associated Press contributed to this report