Re: Second term - Inauguration address
sounded more and more like the Truman doctrine.. and we all know what happened after that ;)
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
You know, Bush is a perfectly horrible speaker. Awful. Pathetic.
However the speech was rather cool. This is the part that you may want to re-read:
"Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.""
If you interpret the first statement, "Today America speaks anew....", to me that means that in some ways we have FAILED to live up to our values, and we must renew and refresh our commitment to values. To me this is a tacit acknowledgement that backing the Shah, tin pot dictators, or the lesser of two evils has not served the country well.
The next statement is an aknowledgement that the US cannot unilaterlaterally impose democracy, but that we will assist those ready to fight for democracy. "When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you." This may well be an apology for not standing with the Shia for example when they rose up against Saddam. It may be a reconciliation with Sistani, and an acknowledgement that even though the timing of an uprising may not be perfect, that the US will follow the lead of those ready to throw off shackles...
The last paragraph I believe is aimed directly at the youth movement in Iran. Letting them know that they are the future. "Democratic reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country."
I think there were a lot of buried messages there, signals to various factions around the world.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
^^ I agree because he thanked intelligence and diplomatic efforts in his speech as well.
Intelligence is something that is never mentioned usually left for quite ceremonies. Made me proud.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
It was entertaining to say the least. Didnt listen to a word he said, his facial expressions were quite distracting. But going by the transcript, didnt seem to have missed much. 'Freedom' seems to be the key word.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
well he uttered the F-word about 27 times, never once mentioned the I-word...wonder why?
he's such a boring sod, i dont know how he manages to stay awake, listening to him ramble on about liberty and such was so dull
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
Rave reviews from Safire:
I rate it among the top 5 of the 20 second-inaugurals in our history. Lincoln’s profound sermon “with malice toward none” is incomparable, but Bush’s second was better than Jefferson’s mean-spirited pouting at “the artillery of the press.”
In Bush’s “second gathering” (Lincoln called it his “second appearing”), the Texan evoked J.F.K.'s “survival of liberty” phrase to convey his central message: “The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.” Bush repeated that internationalist human-rights idea, with a slight change, in these words: “The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”
The change in emphasis was addressed to accommodationists who make “peace” and “the peace process” the No. 1 priority of foreign policy. Others of us - formerly known as hardliners, now called Wilsonian idealists - put freedom first, recalling that the U.S. has often had to go to war to gain and preserve it. Bush makes clear that it is human liberty, not peace, that takes precedence, and that it is tyrants who enslave peoples, start wars and provoke revolution. Thus, the spread of freedom is the prerequisite to world peace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/21/opinion/21safire.html?oref=login&hp
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
is his wife divorcing him?
I didn’t watch it at all, would have loved to though, but was washing my chest hair.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
"was washing my chest hair."
both of them?
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
No just one, I'm saving the other one for the re-runs
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
Big difference, back then the Presidents wrote their own speeches. Today any monkey will go up and sound however the speech writer wants them to, not impressed.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
Considering that it were the US electorate that elected him, his speech was surprisingly low on US issues, and was dominated by his international agenda. Some Americans I talked to were pretty unimpressed by the dominance of foreign affairs at the cost of substantial domestic problems being faced inside America.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
Domestic issues and specific policies and programs are the subject of the State of the Union, not an Inaugural Address. Inauagurals should be idealistic and set forth broad visions. Unlike his father, this Bush has no problem with the “vision thing.” Of course, there is no way the vision can be accomplished in the next four years. The best Bush can do is establish an ongoing direction and path and start moving things in that direction. Getting things moving can impact future Presidents’ options for decades. It’s harder to stop things that are moving in one direction and then reverse the course than it is to start something up from scratch.
The legacy this President wants to establish is a long term doctrine rather than a tangible two-term victory.
Re: Second term - Inauguration address
Boy that is never gonna happen, esp for N Korea unless they discover lots of oil well. To be honest or realistic, he should have added “ONLY if you have oil”.