WASHINGTON – When President Bush takes to a frigid outdoor podium tomorrow to begin his second term in office, he will face thousands of onlookers, a world audience of billions, and a chance to define his moment in history.

Inaugural addresses by second-term presidents are rarely memorable, historians say, because by that time commanders in chief have already given voice to their visions and the spirit of the people who put them in office.

President Reagan used his first inaugural speech to introduce the shift to smaller government that came to define his presidency, for example, and President Clinton’s second speech merely reprised the promise of technology and globalization already raised in his first speech.

But Mr. Bush’s speech has the potential to break with that pattern and make a more lasting mark than his first inaugural address, which was delivered before the 2001 terrorist attacks and the invasion of Iraq, the events that have come to dominate his presidency.

Americans should expect a “broader thematic speech” that outlines the “principles and philosophy” that guide and unite the president’s agenda both at home and abroad, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday.

“These are hopeful and historic times in which we live,” Mr. McClellan said.

The president will talk about “the big challenges we face and the opportunity that those challenges present for us to really work together to achieve big things for the world and for this nation,” he said.

The president, who has been preparing his speech for weeks, has used lofty language as of late. For instance, he referred to democracy as “the philosophical argument of the age,” in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Peggy Noonan, who served as a special assistant to Reagan and was President George W. Bush’s chief speechwriter, defined the typical inaugural address as “a high and stately speech that winds up in the history books. Sometimes the attempt to go high and stately results in sonorous boringness. But sometimes it’s high and stately,” she said.

A presidential historian at the Heritage Foundation, Lee Edwards, said Mr. Bush’s speech could survive the test of time. “Here we are, 14 years after the Cold War, and a lot of people have been trying to come up with: ‘Where are we?’ This could be Bush’s attempt to define it as the Age of Democracy,” he said.

Mr. Bush’s 2001 speech was aimed at reconciling a nation in uproar over the results of the 2000 election. Its rhetoric was often abstract – focusing on notions of character and moral values, and assuring Democrats that he, too, cared about the less fortunate. The word ‘security’ appeared only once – in a reference to Social Security. A leading issue was education.

Tomorrow, the key theme of freedom will permeate the speech, offering a conceptual link between foreign policy, such as the invasion of Iraq, and domestic policies such as private Social Security accounts and tax cuts. The president will present policy goals, including home ownership and private retirement savings and health accounts, as elements of personal economic freedom.

“He will talk about the importance of advancing freedom to achieve peace abroad and security at home, and he’ll also talk about the importance of extending freedom here in America by building an ownership society,” Mr. McClellan said.

But the purpose of this speech is not to provide particulars on how the president would reform Social Security or the tax code. Policy details will be left to the State of the Union address. The president will aim to attach a deeper philosophical meaning to the policies, and to his place in history.

Critics note, however, that the president cannot simply write his own legacy.

“He will be judged where the rubber meets the road,” said a former aide to Senator McCain of Arizona, Marshall Wittmann, now a senior fellow with the Democratic Leadership Council. “We don’t know what the ultimate outcome is going to be in Iraq,” he said.

Mr. Bush’s audience will also want to hear optimism and reassurance.

“He has to provide reassurance given people’s concern about security, both here and abroad,” said a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution, Charles O. Jones. In times of war, inaugural speeches tend to try to uplift, he said.

In tone, Mr. Bush will have to balance the optimism for the future and enthusiasm for his agenda with the solemnity of wartime, honoring the sacrifices of American troops under his command.

The theme of the inaugural ceremonies is “Celebrating Freedom, Honoring Service.” Yesterday, Mr. Bush kicked off the events by saluting the members of the armed forces in a speech at the MCI Center here.

“As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 55th presidential inauguration, I can think of no better way to begin than by giving thanks for our freedom and those who make it possible,” Mr. Bush said.

In a likely foretaste of tomorrow’s speech, the president mentioned the words “freedom” seven times. He said the inauguration is an occasion for the American people to “come together in unity to celebrate our freedom.”

“A presidential inauguration is a testament to the power of democracy, a symbol of our confidence in the popular will, and a sign of hope for freedomloving people everywhere,” he said.

He told the troops that “more will be asked of you in the months and years ahead” because “the liberty that has been won…now must be secured.”

The president’s chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, is known for imbuing speeches with poetic language that echoes Bible verses and hymns.

Mr. Bush repeated a frequent allusion to divine guidance yesterday, stating, “History moves toward freedom because the desire for freedom is written in every human heart.”

The president’s frequent religious references in his 2001 speech caused a stir among his critics, even though references to God are common in inauguration speeches. Mr. Bush is expected to refer to a higher spiritual purpose behind his policies, not only as an effort to sanctify the loss of life, but also because of his own sincerely held beliefs, said a former political speechwriter, Christopher Leland, now a fellow at the Focus on the Family Institute.

“It is how he chooses to comfort people who are worried about security, and how we will carry on,” Mr. Leland said.

Inauguration speeches typically have five parts, said Mr. Leland, who has written such speeches for governors and other state officeholders.

They attempt to unify the country behind the winner of a contested election. Second, they invoke shared values and raise what speechwriters call “valance issues” – goals like security and prosperity that most people can agree on. Third, they hint at a legislative agenda but leave the policy details for another time. Fourth, they attempt to persuade those who voted against the officeholder that he has credibility and should be trusted. Finally, Mr. Leland said, “There is a lot of praise for the nation and for the government’s efforts. We will hear a lot of pats on the back.”

And the speech will likely not be long, Ms. Noonan said.

“A rough rule of thumb: the longer the speech, the less confident the preparers, and the less confident they are, the less likely they’ll produce eloquence. I am hoping for and expecting a short Bush speech,” she said.

President Bush’s task of unifying the country is made more difficult by the close election result, as well as opinion polls that show the country is evenly divided in their support for him.

After four years of partisan politics, Democrats say it will take more than words to bring back a spirit of bipartisanship – and they are not optimistic that it will be achieved.

“The word ‘mandate’ is a nonstarter,” said the Democratic Leadership Council’s Mr. Wittmann.

A Democratic strategist, Donna Brazile, said only a dramatic gesture by the president could give meaning to talk of unity – such as inviting select Democratic leaders to sit with him to watch the presidential parade. “The bottom line is words can heal some wounds, but only action – bold, innovative initiatives – can bridge the partisan divide,” she said.

Mr. Bush has signaled that he interprets his clear election victory as the triumph of his ideas and agenda.

“I think he’s going to say that the people have spoken and endorsed my ideas,” said the Heritage Foundation’s Mr. Edwards. “And we’re going to proceed on that basis.”

A SCHEDULE OF INAUGURAL EVENTS

TODAY:

* Chairman’s Brunch, Mellon Auditorium
* A Celebration of Freedom, the Ellipse
* Candlelight dinners at Union Station, the Washington Hilton, and the Pension Building for donors who give $100,000 or more
* Black Tie & Boots Ball, Marriott Wardman Hotel

TOMORROW:

9 A.M.

* St. John’s Episcopal Church service

10 A.M.

* Swearing-in ceremony at U.S. Capitol

11:30 A.M.

* Call to order and welcoming remarks by Senator Lott, a Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
* Invocation by the Reverend Dr. Luis Leon, rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.

12 P.M.

* Oath of office administered by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican of Illinois, to Vice President Cheney
* Oath of office administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist to President Bush
* Inaugural address
* Benediction by Reverend Kirbyjon Caldwell, senior pastor at Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston

2 P.M.

* Inaugural parade, Pennsylvania Avenue

7 P.M.

* Constitution Ball, Washington Hilton
* Freedom Ball, Union Station
* Independence Ball, Texas Wyoming Ball, Liberty Ball, Democracy Ball, Patriot Ball, Stars and Stripes Ball at the Convention Center
* Commander in chief Ball, National Building Museum

FRIDAY:

* National Prayer Service, National Cathedral