Robert Schlesinger

The Barack Obama Inaugural Was Very Good, But Only History Can Judge Its Greatness

January 20, 2009 RSS Feed Print

By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Barack Obama gave a typically good speech, which is drawing deserved praise. He may join FDR, JFK, and his hero, Abraham Lincoln, as having given the most memorable first inaugural addresses. But beware snap judgments: Only with the fullness of history will we be able to rank this speech. The great inaugurals both reflect their presidents and presidencies and also mark political turning points: FDR, for example, starting the era of big government and Ronald Reagan (whose first inaugural is also memorable) ending it. It's too soon to tell the extent to which Obama's inaugural presages his years in office, and it is far too soon to tell whether we have witnessed the birth of a new political era.

Tags:
speeches,
Inauguration,
Barack Obama

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You've got it, Steve S. Obama has surrounded himself with talent and experience. True, some of them have their own baggage, but I suspect that we won't be seeing an exodus of them fleeing the administration comparable to that seen in the past 6 years or so.

I do regret not seeing Colin Powell taking a prominent role, and a few other qualified republicans, but as a nation, we'll get by. I have no expectation of President Obama being "great", but I do expect competence, something we are sorely in need of.

For my part, I'll continue to contribute to the cause as an overseas civilian avionics engineer for the USAF, and retiree of 22 year, 9 months, and 11 days.

Alan of FL 2:43AM January 22, 2009

Yes time will tell how GREAT our new president will be,but this contest was won by the democrats because of all the unnecessary problems that Bush and his friends have visited upon our nation and not about the personality of Barak Obama, we know about his show business friends, but time will tell whether he knows right from wrong or light from dark and it is too early to see how the cookie will crumble.....at this stage we are hearing too much about Obama and not enough about Biden And Hillary Clinton who have already established their reliability and respect..

Steve S. Roisman of CA 3:12PM January 21, 2009

Nothing in Obama's background indicates that he has anything to offer beyond sound bites and bumper sticker slogans. The nation has elected a man it knows nothing about. For example, if a white candidate had sat in a white racist church for 20 years listening to hate speech the media would have burned him at the stake, and you know it. The media did not do its job - They fawned over an appealing image.

So far, the electorate has bought a shinny used car and ignored its past use and track record. I hope we get lucky just as much as you do, but I'm not counting on it.

Furthermore, why is it "bitter" or "racist" to remind the swooning crowds that so far we have seen nothing positively substantial from the man's past - Yet, we now have elected him to lead us out of a dark and troubled time.

Obama has been elected and he deserves a chance to exercise those traits of leadership that he has thus far failed to demonstrate. An opportunity, not another blind eye and free pass - the nation can't afford it.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 12:18PM January 21, 2009

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger

Robert Schlesinger is managing editor for opinion at U.S. News and World Report, overseeing all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters. E-mail him at rschlesinger@usnews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rschles.

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