Fully aware that George W. Bush was leaving office with the lowest approval rating of any president (22% according to a CBS News poll), and of the decisiveness of his own victory last November, President Obama, in a back-handed sort of way and in the context of how he will approach his presidency, used parts of his inaugural speech to criticize the Bush administration for their incompetence and failure...while Bush sat right there!
Some highlights:
-We will restore science to its rightful place...Behold the peaceful transfer of power, from a stale and failed administration to one full of promise and competence...
-What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.
-And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government...
-As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
-Our founding fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.
And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.
-Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.
They 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.
