copyright paul kane 2007 all rights reserved
Dems: "How bad can it be?"
I thought it would be fun to take a nostalgic tour through W's 2001 inaugural address.
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President George W. Bush's Inaugural Address
January 20, 2001
President Clinton, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.
What's weird about the way Bush starts here is that it strongly echoes the start to Reagan's first inaugural address:
To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion. And, yet, in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-four-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.
http://www.americanr...
It's a veiled threat, isn't it? Neither Carter nor Clinton started out referring to the possibility of violent change of power. They talked about renewal.
As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation.
And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace.
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.
Standard stuff.
We have a place, all of us, in a long story--a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer.
Looking back, this is breathtaking, isn't it? Talk about foreshadowing! Once Bush gets past the preliminaries in his speech, his very first order of business is to assert America's aggressive and 'redemptive' role in the world.
It is the American story--a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.
Isn't this a charming - shall we say - paradox? We have proven ourselves fallible, Bush admits, yet we are to be the aggressively redemptive nation for the world. For me, that doesn't quite compute.
The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.
Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.
What the hell is he saying here? I mean, if everyone belongs, everyone deserves more than one chance, right? Saying that everyone deserves one chance is like saying that they don't belong until they prove themselves.
Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations.
Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel.
Why is it that when we are invading other countries, democracy is our creed, but when we are talking about domestic law, Christianity seems to be our creed - at least according to the GOP?
What if the real GOP creed is making a killing, one way or another?
While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise, even the justice, of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and hidden prejudice and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.
We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.
Ok, that sounds good. Very good.
I know this is in our reach because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves who creates us equal in His image.
See, I told you. When it comes to domestic politics, it's all about God. But when it comes to kicking ass abroad, it's all about Democracy.
And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.
Then cut the God talk!!! Not every American is a religionist!! Let's talk about principles of governance and community.
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.
Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.
That all sounds great.
America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.
OMG, what a laugh! Let's see: 'civility' apparently now means "swiftboating" and voter suppression, and hardball tactics in Congress!!!
Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.
Has anyone ever figured out who is this 'some say, some believe' that Bush keeps referring to in his speeches? Does it relate to "I hear the voices"?
But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led.
Take that, EU!! And everyone else in the world!!
If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.
Truer words were never said.
We must live up to the calling we share.
Well, hell yeah!! Hey, for starters, W, how about not ignoring the Clintonistas when they warn you to watch out for Al Queda? That would be a helluva good way for you to start out on living up to your supposed calling to be President.
Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.
So you mean you'll never use dirty tactics again, like the ones you used on McCain? What a relief! I was afraid you might smear other political opponents if it suited your political convenience, but apparently not, you've had a change of heart, it's all in the past...
America, at its best, is also courageous.
Ok, let's state the obvious. When someone is at thier best, they are at their best. Cool.
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.,
Hell yeah. And let's not just confront! Let's kick ass! Maybe even torture a little...we can start by calling names. Nah, nah, Axis of Evil, Axis of Evil...
Together, we will reclaim America's schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives.
... by testing the crap out of the little suckers...
We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. And we will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans.
Hmm. Where are we at on that? Medicare? Doing better? Social Security? Any problems solved there? Rewarding working Americans? Hmmm.. well, we DID cut taxes on the wealthy, and they are sooo good about tinkling down...
We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge.
Right. An military quagmired and on the point of collapse would be an awful thing to leave to the next president.
We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors.
By building a whole new generation of 'tactical' nukes.
The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.
W is channelling Reagan again here. Reagan:
To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale.
As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it -- now or ever. Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so, we have the best chance of never having to use that strength.
Of course, Bush's version of the militaristic propaganda is more streamlined. Progress.
America, at its best, is compassionate. In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise.
Hear, hear!!
And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love.
Preach on, brother W!!
Waitaminnut! Is this a sermon or a speech?
And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.
I love that "however necessary"! 'Cause it really shouldn't be necessary, should it, if the following is true:
Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities. And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.
But I guess that the point W is trying to make is that government's job is to lock people up. Being nice to people and helping them; not so much.
Government has great responsibilities for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government.
And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer. Church and charity, synagogue and mosque lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws.
Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty, but we can listen to those who do.
And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.
America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected.
Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.
Our public interest depends on private character, on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness, on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom.
Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.
Basically, Bush is echoing Reagan again, this time about how dogooding is not government's job. Reagan:
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it's not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it. If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on earth, it was because here in this land we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before.
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It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of Government.
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So with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams.
Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes -- they just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter -- and they're on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity.
There are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.
http://www.americanr...
W seems to channel Reagan a lot; maybe that's why the GOP candidates for President keep referring to Reagan instead of him.
I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility, to pursue the public interest with courage, to speak for greater justice and compassion, to call for responsibility and try to live it as well.
I guess he didn't promise he would tell the truth or respect the Constitution, did he? I wonder if he crossed his fingers when he took the oath of office?
In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times.
Maybe he considers 'shoot first and ask questions later' a value of our history? More of our movie history, I'd say.
What you do is as important as anything government does.
Gotta make sure to reinforce the point that government is something separate from the people, not something that emanates from them.
I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character.
He sounds like Kennedy now. "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!"
Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.
After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: ``We know the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Do you not think an angel rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm?''
Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inauguration. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes of this day he would know: our nation's grand story of courage and its simple dream of dignity.
We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
God bless you all, and God bless America.
I guess the point here is that if God doesn't speak to you, like God does to W, you are not a good citizen. You certainly aren't The Decider.
http://www.whitehous...