Re-elected US President George Bush has settled down to business as usual after his decisive win and is set to reshuffle his cabinet. As congratulations streamed in from around the world, Bush appeared set for second-term changes. Citing government officials on Thursday, The New York Times said Attorney-General John Ashcroft, 62, and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, 59, are among those who are likely to step down for personal reasons. Other members of the Bush cabinet who are also expected to leave their posts in the next four years are Secretary of State Colin Powell, 67, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, 72. Bush claimed victory on Wednesday after Democratic challenger John Kerry finally conceded the first presidential race since the 11 September 2001 attacks. The Massachusetts senator had held out for hours in the hope he could pull out a miracle win in the pivotal state of Ohio. "I will need your support and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust," Bush said. "A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation." **War president*** Bush won the popular vote 51-48% with a 3.5 million vote margin, a far cry from 2000 when he lost the nationwide tally to Democrat Al Gore but took a decisive majority of electoral votes awarded in separate state contests. At the victory rally, Vice-President Dick Cheney said the result amounted to a "mandate" for the aggressive Bush campaign agenda, that included a range of conservative social and economic policies from tax cuts to limits on stem-cell research. **PHOTO CAPTION*** George Bush at the Old Executive Office Building at the White House, November 4, 2004. (REUTERS)