WA Post: Bush's "greatness" to be revealed in Inaugural speech?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

"History Will Judge the Message and Its Messenger"

By David Von Drehle, Washington Post Staff Writer

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=3&u=/washpost/20050120/ts_washpost/a20771_2005jan19

The history of inaugural addresses is a vast desert with hundreds of dry, empty miles between oases. The ground is littered with the bleached bones of bygone verbiage, faint metaphors and collapsed cliches. Some of the desert is unapologetically flat. Often, a mirage appears, sound bites shimmering lushly just out of reach, but dissolving upon close inspection.

Nearly a generation has passed since the last oasis: Ronald Reagan (news - web sites)'s 1981 speech, in which the oldest man ever elected outlined his revolutionary view of government. "In this present crisis," he said, "government is not the solution to the problem. . . . It is not my intention to do away with government. It is rather to make it work -- work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back."

Four years ago, George W. Bush gave a middling speech. It was not as full of purple passages as his father's 1989 address. It was not as vaguely grandiose as Bill Clinton (news - web sites)'s 1997 speech, in which an almost unpronounceable call to be "repairers of the breach" ushered in four of the most bitterly divided years in modern times.

The best inaugural addresses sum up historical turning points or set the tone for an administration to come. This year, Bush is honing a speech of about 16 minutes on the theme of liberty at home and abroad, one official who has read a draft said. Certainly, Bush has material for a memorable speech. The nation is at war abroad and divided at home. He has global ambitions -- the spread of democracy -- and big plans in Congress, namely the restructuring of Social Security (news - web sites). Whether he finds the words to match the moment -- stay tuned.

[ixion]

1. one word:

:puke:

[BrklynLiberal]

3. That is EXACTLY what I was going to reply.... You beat me to it.

:puke:
But I am going to do it anyway, since there is no better response!!!

[librechik]

2. WA Post donated bigtime to Junior's ritual coronation

along with TimeWarner (CNNetc) and many other corporations taking advantage of the the electoral rules holiday to impress the Chimp with their $$Monkey Love$$

what do you expect them to say?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. I think it's great that writer David Von Drehle found a job...

...while still in high school.

That first paragraph, with the shimmering lushly and such...he has a big future in Harlequin Romances once he graduates.

Journalism? We don't got to show you no stinking journalism.

:evilgrin:

[feistydem]

5. That writer thinks he's Hemmingway.

"..purple passages"? How poetic.

We know Bush's "global ambitions" by now... most kings in history have had them.

[Rob H.]

6. "Whether he finds the words to match the moment -- stay tuned."

"words to match the moment"?

How 'bout these: "Bend over, Murka! Ah'm fixin' t'make y'all squeal lahk a pig! Yeeee-haaa!"

[Rob H.]

7. One more thing

"History Will Judge the Message and Its Messenger"

Silly David Von Drehle, don't you know that doesn't matter? I know because Dubya said we'll all be dead by then! </sarcasm>