Inaugural Musings

I was reading the full text of the inaugural address today, and I was struck by several passages:

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus--and non-believers.

First use of the word "Muslim" in an inaugural speech-- and it's great that in politics we have broken the barriers of religious rhetoric and (hopefully) will start to acknowledge those in our country who choose to not to adhere to any particular faith.

Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age . . . On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. . . . We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things . . . our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed . . . [Earlier generations] understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

To me, these all read as slams against the ex-president. During many of these sections, Bush and Cheney were observed as not reacting along with the rest of the crowd.

It has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom . . . For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Finally, a president that is not afraid to invoke the Vietnam War-- a war seen by many as our first major military failure.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

If you want one paragraph that sums up Obama's first-term policy goals, that looks to be it.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man.

In other words, Bush is inept-- if our Founding Fathers can guarantee our safety without compromising our constitutional protections, than so can we.


And finally, what I consider the money section of the entire speech:

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.