The Olympic torch crossed the White House lawn yesterday, carried by a September 11 widow in what US President George W. Bush called "a lesson in citizenship, courage and compassion".
The torch relay, which takes the flame from its home in Olympia, Greece, to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City,Utah, has taken on added symbolism in a country devastated by the suicide attacks.
Elizabeth Anderson Howell, who lost her husband, Brady, when a hijacked jet ploughed into the Pentagon, passed the flame to Bush with tears in her eyes.
"Her participation in the torch relay represents the strength shown by so many families after September 11 and ... during this holiday season we pray for peace and comfort for you and your family," Bush, sporting a white cowboy hat, told athletes and other White House guests.
The torch's 21,725km, 65-day odyssey across the United States by plane, rail ship, dog sled and horse-drawn sleigh will end on February 8.
