Bush arrives in Washington after presidential sendoff in boyhood hometown

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of the first of three days of inauguration ceremonies, President-elect George W. Bush arrived in Washington on Wednesday evening, after a presidential sendoff in his boyhood hometown of Midland, Texas.

Bush bids farewell to his boyhood hometown of Midland, Texas on Wednesday

"There was so much energy here, not only in the ground but in the lives of the people of West Texas," Bush said at the farewell rally in Midland, Texas. "The spirit of possibility was as big as the West Texas sky."

"Twenty-five years later, this is my last stop on the way to Washington," he said. "I'm going to take a lot of Midland and a lot of Texas with me up there."

An estimated 10,000 people were expected to attend the rally in Midland, the West Texas oil town where Bush spent his early years. A visibly emotional president-elect told the crowd: "While the honor is great, the work is temporary."

"I'm leaving Texas, but not forever," he said. "This is my home, and when I'm not in Washington, there's a pretty good chance you'll find me at our place in Crawford, Texas."

Bush, 54, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and spent his youth in West Texas. His father, former President Bush, moved there to work in the oil business.

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"It seems improbable now, but in that little house on Ohio Street, right down the road from here, it was hard to envision then the future of two presidents and a governor of Florida," he said, referring to his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "But it really is the American story. Our country is a place of limitless hopes and possibilities, and nowhere is that spirit more alive than in the great state of Texas."

The president-elect returned to Midland after graduating from Yale and Harvard Business School. He made his own attempt to break into the oil industry there, and took his first shot at elected office with an unsuccessful 1978 bid for Congress. Bush also met his wife in Midland, where the former Laura Welch grew up.

In his hometown valedictory, Bush said, "The most important things in my life happened here in Midland." He touted his record as Texas governor for five years, a post he resigned in December to assume the presidency.

Praising top Democrats in the Texas Legislature, including House Speaker Pete Laney the late Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock -- both Democrats -- he said, "We found ways to get things done. We built trust. I can assure you we disagreed, but when we did so we did so in a respectful way. This, too, is the spirit I will carry with me to Washington, D.C."

As Bush prepared to move to Washington, several of his Cabinet nominees faced questions from senators during confirmation hearings.

Hearings on former Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft's nomination for attorney general, the most controversial of Bush's Cabinet nominations, went into a contentious second day after an opening session Tuesday.

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"We are very pleased with the first day of hearings," Ari Fleischer, Bush's designated press secretary, told reporters in Washington. "We think it was a chance for him to make his case and he made it well."

Fleischer said he spoke with Vice President-elect Dick Cheney Wednesday morning about the hearings, but that he has not spoken with the president-elect about the session.

Bush spent Tuesday on his Crawford ranch, which does not have cable television, and did not watch the Ashcroft hearings, Fleischer said. Nor did he make calls to Washington to shore up support for Ashcroft, who is facing stiff opposition from liberal interest groups and some Democrats in the Senate.

Bush did watch the broadcast networks' coverage of the hearings Tuesday evening and thought Ashcroft did "great," Gordon Johndroe, a Bush spokesman, told CNN.

"The president-elect has indicated that he's prepared to make phone calls, but typically the process would be that you wait until it approaches the vote before you start making phone calls. The senators are entitled to have their hearing and, at that point, we'll take a look at the landscape," Fleischer said. Besides, he added, Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, "has advised us that all Republican votes are secure."

While Ashcroft has faced tough questions, Bush's other nominations -- retired Gen. Colin Powell as secretary of state; Treasury Secretary-designee Paul O'Neill; New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman as director of the Environmental Protection Administration and Mel Martinez to lead the department of Housing and Urban Development -- were expected to have less contentious hearings Thursday.

Bush departed Midland for Washington after the rally. His inauguration is set for Saturday at noon. He is expected to rehearse his 10-12 minute inaugural address shortly after his arrival in Washington. The speech will likely focus on unifying and healing the nation, spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Fleischer said Bush understands the significance of the speech, calling it the "singular beginning of his administration" and the "biggest speech" in terms of the number of people who will watch it.

Joining the Bushes on a military 757 jet provided by the U.S. government were daughter Jenna, a University of Texas freshman, and long-time friends from Midland, including Commerce Secretary-designee Don Evans and his wife, and Texas businessman Joe O'Neill and his wife.

Karen Hughes, the president-elect's long-time communications director, is travelling with the Bushes.

Future first pets, dogs Spot and Barney, and Bush's cat India, were also aboard the plane.

CNN writer Matt Smith and CNN Correspondent Kelly Wallace contributed to this report