President Obama’s second inaugural address offered few memorable words. But two lines in sequence jumped out at us nonetheless, because the second one contradicts the first: “We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” Obama said. “But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.”
This is essentially Obama’s way of telling everyone what they want to hear. “Lord, give us all chastity — but not yet!” Throughout his presidency, Obama has tried to establish himself rhetorically as a transformational leader taking on the nation’s tough problems — especially America’s mounting debt. In the meantime, he has consistently dodged these problems — again, especially the debt.
