Some initial thoughts on President Barack Obama’s inaugural address:
First, a small but important detail in one short passage struck me. In his remarks about the sacrifices of previous generations of American soldiers, Obama noted that “for us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.”
That sequence from the Revolution to the Civil War to WWII to the seige at Khe Sahn during the Vietnam war is notable for its inclusion of the latter to a place in the American military pantheon.
Considering the years of domestic conflict and bitter division over Vietnam, the inclusion of Khe Sahn by a president drawn from the Democratic party is hopefully a mark of universal acceptance of the heroism and honor of the men and women who fought in Vietnam. It’s long past time.
Second, Obama recalled almost explicitly a central theme of Reagan’s 81 address:
“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.”
Similarly, towards the end of his address, Reagan recalled the determination of a young American soldier during WWI and the importance of his example to the present generation in meeting the challenges of the day:
“The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together with God’s help we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.
“And after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans.”
Finally, the one passage which may presage a weakness of the Obama administration was this one, which drew a sustained applause from the crowd:
“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils 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.”
The Constitution is not a suicide pact. Let us hope this is not a difficult lesson for our new president to learn.
