Bush calls for unity at home and abroad

"Now the election is behind us, and our country is ready to move forward," Bush said in his weekly radio address, the first since he won a second term in office after a bitterly fought and divisive campaign.

"I am honored by the support of my fellow citizens. I commend Senator John Kerry for a spirited campaign," he said of his defeated rival, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts.

Bush broadly outlined goals for his second term including reform of the US tax code, education and retirement benefits.

"Reaching these goals will require the broad support of Americans. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need the support of Republicans and Democrats and independents, and I will work to earn it," he said.

"Our nation is fighting a continuing war on terror, and every American has a stake in the outcome. Republicans and Democrats and independents love our country, and together, we will protect the American people. We will persevere until the enemy is defeated and our nation is safe from danger," he said.

"Every civilized country also has a stake in the outcome of this war. Whatever our past disagreements, we share a common enemy and common duties to confront disease and hunger and poverty in troubled regions of our world," he added.