Comments on: Inaguration Speech Reaction Roundup

By: John Armor

John Armor — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 03:54:30 +0000

Has anyone else noticed that with only eight exceptions, the entire speech breaks into iambic pentameter, or if you prefer, the heroic measure. These were used by Homer, Shakespeare, Pope, Cerbantes, and the KJV of the Bible? This is a particular interest of mine because I'm finishing up a book on Thomas Paine that analyzes this subject.

Anyone who's seen anything about this, please contact me.

By: Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift — Sun, 23 Jan 2005 03:50:38 +0000

America's Mission
President Bush's recent inauguration provided an opportunity for him to set the tone for his second term in office. It was expected that his speech would do that with many bland platitudes and little substance. It is obvious even to...

By: Amateur Megalomania

Amateur Megalomania — Sun, 23 Jan 2005 01:24:40 +0000

The Fourth Interpretation
First, links to other blogs to provide contrast to my views. Check out Little Red Blog, Outside the Beltway, RightPundit, and Pike Speak for other thoughts. I normally do not pay a great deal of attention to inaugural addresses, since...

By: LJD

LJD — Sat, 22 Jan 2005 12:54:32 +0000

Almost forgot...
Kappiy, the difference between politics or law and philosophy is the major flaw in your argument. Our constitution makes freedom possible, but in the context or reason. The Declaration described "certain inalienable rights" that our country was born estalishing.

My freedom is not subject to your rationale or reason, as one can certainly rationalize just about anything. What justice would there be in such a situation, that of the "majority"? Some things are simply not negotiable. That's what scares me the most about the left, that they think they can do anything with 51% approval.

Interesting that such a philosophy would come from am individual who is likely dead set against the patriot act. Am I right?

By: LJD

LJD — Sat, 22 Jan 2005 12:34:49 +0000

"Guess I am just a crazy dreamerâ¦"
o.k.

So lets all get rid of our SUVs, and ride our bicycles to work. Then radical muslims won't want to kill us for our free way of life anymore.
And we can heat our homes with the body heat of our "comrades".

By: Trolling in Shallow Water

Trolling in Shallow Water — Sat, 22 Jan 2005 05:26:09 +0000

Bush's Second Inaugural Address I don't know who Bush's speechwriters are, but I wish I could write like this.

By: Tom Carter

Tom Carter — Sat, 22 Jan 2005 01:18:46 +0000

As I've noted before, inaugural addresses are traditionally short on policy specifics and long on vision and moral purpose. Look at some of the better ones from the past, including JFK's, and you see the same thing. I think the President knows there's a difference between aspiration and possibility. As Robert Browning said it, "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?"

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:33:34 +0000

How about another strategy for the war on terror?

1. Marshall America's considerable talents to develop an energy infrastructure that is not reliant on imported oil.

2. Tell the middle eastern oil states where to stick their oil.

3. Withdrawl our military forces from the middle east as there will be no vital intrest there for us to protect.

Just a thought. I am sure there are those out there who feel all the problems associated with imported oil are well worth it as long as they can drive an SUV the size of a medium battle tank.

The bonus is the terrible damage to our enviorment done by the oil economy will start to heal. Leave a decent planet for your grandkids to grow up in. Guess I am just a crazy dreamer...

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:06:46 +0000

Peggy Noonan on Bush's speech

"The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike"

Noonan also called the speech "disturbing".

Guess we can't write this on off to DNC talking points...

By: Dan, California Yankee

Dan, California Yankee — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:05:03 +0000

Noonan misses the point. The war against terror and the quest for freedom are inextricably linked, and neither can succeed without the other. Noonan should read Bernard Lewis' "The Crisis of Islam" and âWhat Went Wrongâ and Daniel Benjamin's and Steven Simon's "The Age of Sacred Terror." These books make it clear that the only way to prevail in the war against terrorism is to drain the swamp of the potential terrorists by bringing hope and freedom to those oppressed.

By: dustbury.com

dustbury.com — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:02:01 +0000

And then, the speech
I am, at best, a fumbling orator: I stumble over words I know perfectly well, and I tend to get two or three words ahead of myself, which means that...

By: Benedict

Benedict — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 21:42:32 +0000

PEGGY IN STOCKHOLM What does the conservative movement's favorite speechwriter have in common with Patty Hearst? In today's Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan shares her reaction to George W. Bush's second inaugural address. The title and subtitle tell us exactly where...

By: Little Red Blog

Little Red Blog — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 20:47:25 +0000

Inaugural Thoughts
In his inaugural address, the President essentially held out three basic premises that reflect his view of our nation going into the 21st Century. There are differences between these ideas and the manner in which the nation was first created and gove...

By: Donald Sensing

Donald Sensing — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:31:52 +0000

Bush draws the battle lines even more sharply
I have been saying for a long time the war against radical Islamism is a religious war, even though we of the West think we fought our last religious war centuries ago. Proclamations this week from President Bush and The Islamic Army in Iraq illustrate...

By: kappiy

kappiy — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:15:37 +0000

Gerson's speech was typical--platitudinous and vapid.

The punditry--as nicely compiled by James--was typically bromidic.

I always wonder when I hear Bush talk about "freedom," what exactly he means by the term. There is a debate in moralistic philosophy that asserts an antinomy between freedom & reason; freedom--if taken to its logical conclusion--can impede the liberty of others. Rationality is the basis of a moral reasoning that negotiates the limits of freedom and reconciles divergent interests.

This seems to be his epistemological approach, as evidenced by his idealism. The rationalist approach demands a serious engagement with justice--a word that you rarely hear Bush utter.

It might be nice if Bush appointed an Aristotelian as his speech writer in the second term.