senator hadfield, mr. justice, mister president, vice president bush, vice president mondale, senator baker, speaker o'neill, reverend moma and my fellow citizens. to a few of us here today, this is a solemn and most momentous occasion. and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. the orderly transfer of authority is con for in the constitution, routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. in the eyes of many in the world, this every four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle. mister president, i want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. by your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are united people, pledge to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other. i thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the work of