President George W. Bush said on Thursday he earned "political capital" from the 59 million people who voted for him and will use it to advance a broad agenda that includes protecting America and reforming the intelligence community, the tax code and Social Security. "I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it," Bush told a news conference a day after Democrat John Kerry conceded the election to the president and the two men talked about the need for unity. Bush captured a majority of the national popular vote, winning 51 percent to Kerry's 48 percent, or 3.5 million votes more than the Massachusetts senator. Bush said spreading freedom around the world will also be a central part of his foreign policy. He said fighting terrorism was essential and he would reach out explain his decision to foreign leaders but gave no indication of any major concessions to U.S. critics of the Iraq war. "Whatever our past disagreements, we share a common enemy," Bush said. Bush also wants an agreement on Capitol Hill on reforming intelligence after a report on the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks cited widespread intelligence failures. An attempt was made to complete a deal before the election but negotiations bogged down along partisan lines. --More 2340 Local Time 2040 GMT
