HAVING painted his American dream of the future and danced the night away, President Clinton will today begin his second term with a range of activities designed to illustrate the priorities outlined in his inaugural speech.
He is expected to announce the tightening of access to the White House, where so many large Democratic Party donors were welcome last year, and press the case of campaign finance reform to his party's national committee.
At about the same time, the House of Representatives votes on the punishment recommended by its ethics committee - a formal reprimand and a $300,000 fine - for Congressman Newt Gingrich, the Speaker. He had admitted misleading the panel over the financing of a political college course he previously taught.
This afternoon, Mr Clinton sits down with his principal economic and political advisers to work on strategy against the Republican drive to pass a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.
Last Friday, Mr Robert Rub in, the treasury secretary, dismissed speculation that the administration was interested in finding ways to accommodate an amendment. He told a congressional committee that such a rigid approach would subject the US to "unacceptable economic risks".
But the administration is keenly interested in working with Congress to devise a plan to balance the budget - currently in deficit by about $107 billion - over the next six years. Mr Erskine Bowles, the new White House chief of staff, has held several meetings with committee chairmen.
Tomorrow the president heads to Chicago for a speech on education, a constant theme in his reelection campaign and one which appears to go down well with the public.
On Thursday, he welcomes Mr Kofi Annan, the new UN secretary general, to the White House for talks on reform of the institution that could lead, Congress permitting, to the US paying some of its arrears in contributions. Mr Annan's appointment last week of Mr Maurice Strong, the veteran Canadian diplomat, to head the drive for UN reform was well received in Washington.
But much will depend on a concerted effort by Mr Clinton, Mrs Madeleine Albright, the new secretary of state, and Mr Annan to persuade Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the foreign relations committee, to unlock funds he is notoriously reluctant to spend on international institutions.
Several recent opinion polls have found Mr Clinton at the peak of his popularity, riding a wave stemming from his own personality and an economy that goes from strength to strength.
But the New York Times poll published yesterday also revealed, like others, a country quite sceptical that perceived intractable problems, ranging from balancing budget to campaign finance reform, will lend themselves to solutions, no matter what the politicians promise.
Yesterday Mr Clinton promised to work constantly to bring about a better nation in the 21st century. This week he merely starts the second half of that process.