Obama's Speech

I have to say, I am a bit disappointed. For someone who is proclaimed to be one of the great orators of his age I found it a bit flat, but then again I actually listened to the words. Unlike the crowds who gazed with rapture at President Obama, I listened, analyzed, weighed the words.

I firmly agree with him on the idea of personal responsibility, that many of our problems today are "a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices". Sadly he focused a bit too much on "greed" and not not enough of the failure to make hard choices. Sorry, but no one had a gun held to their head and forced to sign loan papers when they knew darn good and well that (1) the markets do NOT always go up and (2) they couldn't make the payments at the end of the teaser rate period. Obama gives an interesting list of problems but fails to actually tie them to anything. For example, he said "our schools fail too many", but no tie back to his responsibility theme. Mr. President, why do "our schools fail too many"? Please, don't tell me it's money because if we are both honest with each other we know it isn't. How about parents not making the hard choice of doing without to be more involved with the education of their children?

I found this interesting: "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." Now this is interesting, since it has been his side of the aisle that has spat the more vitriolic of statements. Of course, one moment of fun for yours truly was Obama's butting heads with Pelosi and Reid. If he continues to do this he will earn much more of my support, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. How he handles their tunnel vision of war crimes trials against Bush and Cheney will go far in how I view the man.

This one sent chills down my spine, the idea of "the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." First of all, there is no such promise of all being equal unless you want to talk soteriology, yet that is not what Obama meant here. We are NOT all equal. We each have different skills, different inclinations, different abilities. The message he is sending is a bit muddled.

I found this one of the better lines in the speech: "Rather, 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." The question is, what will the Obama administration do to help such people?

This statement puzzled me: "We will restore science to its rightful place". What "rightful place" is that? When was science removed from whatever that "rightful place" is? Such statements to me sound like the silly leftist "fair share" statement when it comes to taxation. Who gets to make such definitions?

I agree with this statement up to a point: "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end." If he stopped at the hyphen I would have liked it more, but Obama says that government should meddle in the lives of people. Where is the responsibility of the individual? Given that most people seem to think that Social Security is "broken" and doesn't work, will he end it? He said earlier that public education has failed, will that end as well?

I find it interesting that Obama says "know that America is a friend of each nation". Really? What about countries who deem us as "the great Satan" (and I'm not just talking about the French here). How far does that idea of "friend" go?
I'm not sure how much that goes with his much, much better statement "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." I find that Obama, in trying to be the world's "good guy", a sorta global president, he is pledging far too much outside the U.S. before we really clean up our own house (read the three paragraphs or so following the above quotes).

I think what I have the most problem with is the muddled message this sends to those who pay attention to what he says. But, as I said to a co-worker this morning, unlike the rabid liberals I will NOT say that Obama is not my president. He is, and when he and I agree I will support him to the utmost of my ability. Where we disagree I will speak out to any who will listen. This, I think, is the real duty of a patriotic American. So now, it's time to see what he will do. Time for talk and speeches is over, now is the time for action.

God bless America.