Getting Ready

A sign warns unauthorized people away from the site of the Presidential inauguration, Jan. 15, 2005, in Washington.

David Moncrieffe, from Orlando, Fla., puts a final coat of paint on the inaugural stage, Jan. 15, 2005, in Washington.

An unidentified worker installs a security camera along the Presidential inaugural parade route on Pennsylvania Ave., Jan. 15, 2005, in Washington.

Hargrove, Inc. employee Mack McCormack removes protective plastic film from a 36-foot tall float during preparations for the inaugural parade, Jan. 11, 2005, in Lanham, Md.

Hargrove Inc. employee Jim Bryant staples fabric onto a float to create a 63-foot long American flag during preparations for the inaugural parade, in Lanham, Md., Jan. 11, 2005. A 32-foot long float of a scroll with the preamble to the Constitution will set the theme for the inaugural parade. The same company has created floats for inaugurations dating back to Harry Truman's, in 1949.

Workers hang banners along the presidential inaugural parade route, Jan. 16, 2005, in Washington.

A member of the military stands in for President Bush during an inaugural rehearsal, Jan. 16, 2005, in Washington.

Members of the military stand in for President Bush during an inaugural rehearsal, Jan. 16, 2005, in Washington.

Peace activist Tim Castleman holds up a sign for the "Peace Train" inside Los Angeles' Union Station in hopes of locating other activists travelling by train to Washington D.C. to protest President Bush's inauguration, Jan. 16, 2005. The "Peace Train" is a seven-day demonstration to show the benefits of train travel as well as a demonstration against the use of excess petroleum.

Randy Barber, choir director at Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga., leads his singers in a final rehearsal, Jan. 18, 2005, before they head to Washington to perform during President Bush's inauguration. They sang for the president once before, at the American Legion Convention in August 2004. Legionnaires urged the White House to invite them to the inauguration.

Approximately 200 floral designers from 35 different states work at an undisclosed General Services Administration building in Washington, Jan. 17, 2005, to create the close to 3,500 arrangements for the 55th presidential inaugural dinners, balls and receptions.

Capitol police officer Jason Deroche stands guard during ongoing preparations for the upcoming presidential inauguration at the Capitol Building in Washington, Jan. 18, 2005.

Crews prepare for the swearing in of President Bush at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 19, 2005.

A member of the Navy Seabees shovels snow in front of the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 19, 2005.

Justin Gore, of McKinney, Texas, brushes snow from seats on Capitol Hill in Washington in preparation for President Bush's swearing in the next day, Jan. 19, 2005.

A woman stands in for first lady Laura Bush at the inaugural stand during a rehearsal on Capitol Hill, Jan. 19, 2005.

People make their way through the snow in front of the presidential inauguration reviewing stand on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House in Washington, Jan. 19, 2005.

Television technicians unload lighting equipment on the top of the media stand opposite the presidential reviewing stand and the White House, Jan. 19, 2005. President Bush will watch the inaugural parade from the reviewing stand after he is sworn in.

With security on high alert for the inauguration, a fully-armed Emergency Response Team officer keeps watch on the South Lawn of the White House as President Bush's motorcade prepares to depart, in Washington, Jan. 19, 2005. The ERT is a tactical unit of the uniformed division of the U.S. Secret Service.

Personnel from federal, state and local agencies work inside the Multi Agency Communications Center at an undisclosed location in northern Virginia, in this undated photograph. The inauguration is a National Special Security Event, and the center will be used to watch over downtown streets, keep track of aerial surveillance flights and check sensors scanning for evidence of bio/chem agents.