2009年1月21日
Print journalists often over-prepare for television interviews, and I am no exception. My C-SPAN interview after President Obama’s inaugural address lasted only a few minutes, but I did my homework, studying dozens of inaugural addresses, and reading numerous interviews with political scientists and assorted presidential scholars—so I’ll attempt to place Tuesday’s speech in some historical context.
President Barack Obama takes the Oath of Office as the 44th President with his wife Michelle, daughters Malia (second from right) and Sasha (right) by his side at the Capitol. REUTERS/Chuck Kennedy/Pool (UNITED STATES)
For starters, Obama’s invocation of George Washington couldn’t have been more fitting. It was President Washington who read his own inaugural speech aloud on April 30, 1789 in New York City, setting a precedent that lasts to this day. And what an enriching precedent it is. On Tuesday, Obama recalled the image of General Washington leading American militia against British regulars in the winter of 1776, and of the words—written by Thomas Paine—that Washington ordered be read to the troops huddled in the snow on the shores of the icy Delaware River.
Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]. “In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words,” Obama continued. “With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.” That is fine rhetoric, and even finer sentiments, as I believe most people who were listening would agree. How does it fit historically into the pantheon of inaugural addresses? Before I offer an opinion, let’s examine a few of the past presidents' greatest hits.
The notion that an inaugural address should be an occasion for healing, for bringing political factions together, is a concept we owe to Thomas Jefferson after the bitter presidential campaign of 1800. “But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle,” Jefferson said in the first inauguration at the Capitol. “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”
In uttering these words, Jefferson raised the bar for future inaugural eloquence—unity being to political rhetoric what a windless day is to sailing. Some presidents have risen above that constraint, although tough times certainly help sharpen their oratory. The toughest of times, of course, were during the Civil War. Fittingly, Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address set the standard by which all others are measured.
After articulating the great underlying cause of the war, which was slavery, Lincoln noted that each side read the same bible and prayed to the same God, invoking His aid against the other, and that the prayers of both could not be answered, and amidst the unspeakable carnage, the prayers of neither could be answered fully. He then noted in the speech’s most famous lines, “With malice toward none, with charity for all…let us strive to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds…”
Lincoln has not come to us again, and God forbid that we ever need him the way we did in 1861. Great speakers and great presidents have come and gone, however. In the time of the modern presidency, four inaugural addresses stand above all the others, at least to me. Those of you who read this blog regularly might think to yourselves, “Okay, here it comes: Loose Cannon will have two Democrats and two Republicans.” Well, you’re right.
I’ll begin in chronological order. Franklin Roosevelt’s 1933 inauguration, with its memorable line—perhaps the most memorable in all 20th century American oratory—about fear. “This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper,” FDR said as the Great Depression swallowed ever-more banks, factories, farms, and American families’ hopes. “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
President Hoover had been saying the same thing for the better part of a year, but Americans had tuned him out. This has an echo in our day. Take the time to re-read George W. Bush’s first inaugural address. You will be struck by the fact that Bush said many of the same things Barack Obama said regarding service to community and country, and he said them just as well, if not better. But a large majority of Americans have tuned Bush out. By contrast, they are dialed into Obama, which underscores another point about inaugurations. They are all about hope and possibility, but ultimately a president is saddled with his policies and buffeted by world events. He is judged, as he should be, by more than speeches. Consider these soaring inaugural words:
Ours is a land rich in resources; stimulating in its glorious beauty; filled with millions of happy homes; blessed with comfort and opportunity. In no nation are the institutions of progress more advanced. In no nation are the fruits of accomplishment more secure. In no nation is the government more worthy of respect. No country is more loved by its people. I have an abiding faith in their capacity, integrity, and high purpose. I have no fears for the future of our country. It is bright with hope.
As you may have guessed by now, that was Herbert Hoover on March 4, 1929.
The next great inaugural address, I believe, was given by John F. Kennedy. That speech, delivered flawlessly by the handsome war hero with the Boston accent on a stunningly cold Washington day, is so full of inspiring passages that the only challenge is which one to mention. I’ll remind you of two:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. Twenty years later, with American self-confidence in the dumpster; the Cold War seemingly dragging on forever; and the U.S. economy crippled by inflation, high interest rates, low employment, and a disquieting dependence on foreign oil, Ronald Reagan rode in on his white horse and told Americans on his unseasonably warm and sunny inaugural day: “With all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength…We have every right to dream heroic dreams.”
Renewal is a constant theme of these ceremonies, for obvious reasons. The clever slogan doesn’t always stick the way FDR’s “New Deal” or JFK’s “New Frontier” captured the national imagination. I mean, who recalls Jimmy Carter’s “New Spirit” or Bill Clinton’s “New Convenant”? (The biggest bomb might have been George H.W. Bush’s “New Breeze.”)
Neither the single defining phrase, nor the great one-liner is the only way to judge a speech. Little kids did not go around citing lines from George W. Bush’s first inaugural the way they did Kennedy’s, but it was a work of art nonetheless. Don’t take my word for it.
“George W. Bush’s first week as President of the United States began with a speech that, taken as a whole and judged purely as a piece of writing, was shockingly good.” That was the assessment, not of Loose Cannon, but of the talented Hendrik Hertzberg of The New Yorker. His praise was notable not only because Hertzberg is openly liberal, but because he helped craft Jimmy Carter’s inaugural address. Hertzberg continued his review of George W. Bush’s first inaugural address: “It was by far the best inaugural address in forty years. In substance if not in expression, it was a speech that, with five minutes of blue-penciling, could as easily have been delivered by the rightful winner of the election.”
And so, Bush 43 delivered on Jefferson’s promise: He gave a speech so unifying in its tone and content that a loyal member of the opposition openly thought it could have been given, with only slight modifications, by the candidate of the other party. So what went wrong? You already know the answer. Presidential rhetoric sets the table. The meal is their policies, the world events that unfold around them, and how they respond to those events. Yes, Obama made people feel good yesterday with his inaugural address. Whether it is destined to be remembered fondly in the future depends in large part on what is yet to come—in what happens during the next four, or eight, years.
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