Inaugural
Speeches
By Dr. Rizwana Rahim
Chicago, IL
President Bush officially started
his 4-year, sworn in by the ailing Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court, Rehnquist at 12 noon on
January 20, 2005 on the steps of the Capitol building.
Then he gave his second inaugural address, an
honor that had eluded his father. With this ceremonial
ritual, the person elected in the election of
last November is installed in office. The details
have already been covered internationally.
Some of the questions I like dwell on here are:
Why January 20 ? The purpose of such an address,
its historical context, a review of major highlights
of this address and its reaction ?
Initially, the inauguration used to be held on
March 4, for no better reason than to commemorate
the effective date of the US Constitution in 1789.
But because of late-winter travel difficulties
for the elected members to the Capital, the inauguration
of even the first President, George Washington
was delayed till early April. The same delay also
occurred for the installation of the second President,
John Adams, who came after Washington’s
two 4-year terms. Both took place in Philadelphia,
the first US Capital, and then it moved in December
1800 to Washington, District of Columbia -this
federal area was originally a swamp land carved
out of two States, Maryland and Virginia, and
was designed to serve as the permanent capital.
There were other difficulties with the inauguration
on March 4. It was not until the 20th Amendment,
passed in 1933, that the presidential inauguration
was moved to January 20, some two-and-half months
after the election (1st Tuesday of November, previous
year, in this case 2004, at 4-year intervals),
which comes 2 weeks after the Electoral College
officially endorses the election, and after the
new Congress that is first convened on the 3rd
day of January. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
had a unique distinction: his first Inauguration
was on March 4, 1933 and he was the first one
to have his second Inauguration on the new official
date, January 20, 1937.
Even though the date moved into the winter, and
Washington, DC has cold but unpredictable winters,
the travel difficulties are no longer a factor
although the weather itself can play havoc with
the ceremonies. The most tragic thing that happened
was to the 9th President, William Henry Harrison,
who, hatless in bitter winter, gave the longest
Inaugural address ever in the US history that
ran for 1 hour and 45 minutes. He was ill after
the exposure and died about a month later (1841;
the shortest term as the President).
Ceremonies go on time, as scheduled, but the weather
is always a factor: was warmest (55 degree F)
on Reagan’s first Inauguration, 1981 and
coldest (7 degree F) on his second, 1985. Most
inaugurations have taken place ceremoniously in
Washington, except for the four occasions when
the Vice President had to take-over from the President
who had died. The most notable in memory was that
of Lyndon Johnson’s in 1963, after President
Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, TX; his
oath of office was administered by a woman-judge
on the Presidential plane returning to Washington
with the slain president’s body, with Jackie
Kennedy standing next to him in her blood-stained
clothes.
Inaugural addresses are formal, marking a new
chapter with a broad upbeat vision of a future,
with eloquence and hope, but this is not where
the specifics are given. Some have been quite
inspirational, with soaring oratory. Among those
memorable are (i) Washington’s second inaugural
speech which, composed of just 135 words, is still
the shortest of them all, (ii) Lincoln’s
second inaugural speech in which, after the Civil
War, he talked about “malice toward none;
with charity for all,” (iii) FDR’s
first inaugural address, in 1933, with a still
recalled line: “the only thing we have to
fear is fear itself” and his New Deal for
a country struggling out of the 1929 Depression,
and (iv) the young President Kennedy, with a few
memorable lines from his only Inaugural address
in 1961, delivered in a voice that still rings:
the “torch has been passed to a new generation
of Americans”; “Ask not what your
country can do, ask what you can do for your country”
; and “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.” Except for
Washington’s and Lincoln’s, the second
inaugural speeches are not as memorable as the
first ones, with a new president making a fresh
start.
The current president is not known for his oratory
or eloquence, so the expectations weren’t
high. Like his predecessors, he consulted with
his staff and others, went through many drafts
written by his staff (about 22 in his case; Clinton
was a very hard editor), rehearsed several times
before officially delivering it. Most people were
relieved that he didn’t miss any words or
made any gaffes, and in fact, some praised the
speech.
In a 2000-word speech, lasting 21 minutes this
January 20, Bush’s theme was “spreading
freedom” and democracy, and ending tyranny,
around the world, and he used the words “free,”
"freedom" and "liberty" 49
times to stress it. National issues were skimmed
over, if at all, and Iraq was conspicuous by absence:
he never once mentioned it, where at least 11
US soldiers have died in the previous seven days.
His theme was shaped noticeably by the book "The
Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome
Tyranny and Terror" by a former Soviet dissident
and prisoner, and now an Israeli politician, Natan
Sharansky, who had been consulted. Bush recommended
the book in his press interviews.
Obviously, this raises a number of questions within
the country, and the reaction around the world
was not unexpected. Encouraging democracy around
the world is one thing, but to think that this
would rid the world of tyranny and make the US
safer from terrorism is quite another. Trying
to do any of this seriously would risk US pressure
and interference in the internal affairs of various
countries, and unlimited US political, military
and economic obligations around the world for
generations. The American public seriously concerned
about feeling mired in Iraq and Afghanistan may
have no stomach or interest for more of the same.
This would also place these aims at odds with
the countries with repressive, anti-democratic
and autocratic regimes that the US has been supporting,
including various countries in the Middle East,
Pakistan and Russia. There is already some concern
in EU and elsewhere about this globalization of
Bush’s goals, particularly in view of the
fact that major reasons for the Iraqi war were
found to be so flawed and ill-conceived.
Inaugural addresses are often replete with lofty
stirring words and noble admirable goals, but
the means to achieve them is quite another matter.
On February 2, Bush delivered his first State
of the Union address of his 2nd term to a joint
session of new Congress. After the last election,
this Congress is more Republican than the last
one. This is an annual event in which the sitting
President outlines his legislative initiatives
and his government’s achievements and plans.
Most important topics this year were his bold
plans to privatize the Social Security (US retirement
benefits system). As one of the proudest and lasting
programs of FDR (Social Security Act, 1935), this
has been the so-called 3rd rail that no one dare
touch or meddle with.
Among international topics, his challenge to some
Middle Eastern countries was: advance a democratic
system and uproot terrorism. Perhaps the most
emotional moments were (i) when introduced Safia
Taleb al-Suhail, an Iraqi human rights advocate
who had voted in Iraq last Sunday. Holding back
her tears, she flashed a V sign and showed her
purple-stained index finger, a sign she had voted,
and (ii) when he introduced the parents of a Marine
Sergeant (Brian Norwood) who died in Iraq, and
al-Suhail got up to embrace Mr. Norwood, something
that moved the President and the Congress symbolizing
how their fates have also been interlinked.
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