Fairly or unfairly, one of the oft cited measures of the value and staying power of a president are memorable phrases plucked from his inauguration speech(es). Today's speech seems riddled with phrases to may well live on in the public memory. But part of what makes a phrase "sticky" is the amount of "press" it gets. Since this is one of the new "press-like" venues, I thought I'd take a poll of some to phrases you all think are most memorable from the speech. I'm only going to be able to list a few - so if I miss your favorite, please add it in the comments.
I share my favorite and an explanation below the fold ...
For me, is was the ending,
"Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations"
I like this phrase, above all the others, because it asks us to legthen our vision - to think 2 or 3 generations ahead. As heady as this day has been for me, the struggles ahead are long and hard. Addressing the real, deep and vexing questions our country faces, from health care and education for all to social security reform, will require much more than just a President who is honest and decent in the ways the 43rd was not. It will require painfully serious sacrifice on all our parts - something that we Boomers and Gen-Xers have not historically been very good at. I hope it can inspire us to rise to the occasion ahead.