WASHINGTON (By Stephanie Rosenbloom, NYTimes) February 14, 2004 - Alberto R. Gonzales was sworn in as 80th attorney general of the United States today, replacing John Ashcroft as nation's chief law enforcement officer, and becoming the first Hispanic to hold the office.

The ceremony at the White House came after months of controversy about Mr. Gonzales's role in the Bush administration's policies on torture. The Senate approved his nomination in Feb. 3 on a vote of 60 to 36, with most Senate Democrats strongly opposing, giving Mr. Gonzales fewer Democratic votes than John Ashcroft received when he was confirmed in 2001.

Following Mr. Gonzales's swearing-in, President Bush praised him, saying that the "attorney general has my complete confidence" and that he has been "a model of service" with a "deep dedication to the cause of justice."

The president said Mr. Gonzales was now on "an urgent mission to protect the United States from another terrorist attack."

The ceremony, however, was not only about Mr. Gonzales. Mr. Bush also used the occasion to promote some of his own ideas, saying that "we must not allow the passage of time, or the illusion of safety, to weaken our resolve in this new war."

And Mr. Bush called on Congress "to promptly renew all provisions of the Patriot Act this year." Mr. Ashcroft's aggressive efforts to enforce the USA Patriot Act, which loosens restrictions on government surveillance, draw considerable criticism from civil libertarians. The main provisions of the sweeping antiterrorism law, enacted in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, are set to expire at the end of the year.

The president also said that he expected his judicial nominees to receive prompt hearings on the Senate floor and that "we must insure that judges faithfully interpret the law," not legislate from the bench.

He highlighted his budget request for $5 billion to expand DNA testing as well.

The president also took a moment to thank Mr. Ashcroft for taking "the right course on the war on terror."

"He has worked tirelessly to make our nation safer and more just," Mr. Bush said of the former attorney general.

Mr. Gonzales, a longtime adviser to President Bush, put his left hand on a Bible shortly after 10 this morning and repeated after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic."

Mr. Gonzales, who spoke the president, said he thought often about "how to best prepare to meet the responsibilities" of his new role.

Seeming to respond to criticism that he would not stand up to the president when necessary, Mr. Gonzales acknowledged that the attorney general is "a member of the president's Cabinet, a part of his team," but said that "the attorney general represents also the American people, and his first allegiance must always be to the Constitution of the United States."