And now we have a President who I wish the best of luck, and he needs to employ speech writers with some Presidential history knowledge, or atleast the ability to do research. I think that is a grave error not to know how many people before you served in the highest office in the USA.

Particularly liked Obama’s mention of Khe Sahn (usually politicians avoid mentioning Vietnam) and his including non-believers with his roll call of religions. Latter makes up partly for Obama having sleazy Rick Warren give the invocation, for which I hit the mute button. Rev. Joseph Lowery, who was a co-founder with Martin Luther King of the Southern Chrisitan Leadership Conference (SCLC), was magnificient in his benediction.

http://www.textflows.com/ObamaInaugurationFlow

It runs longer than the speech itself, but you see the whole thing newly.

The speech was excellent.

“Obama read it (the speech) quite well but surely he is no Reagan – that old chap could really make you believe.”

I can’t remember being convinced by anything Reagon said, but then I was a casual newspaper reader. I’m not sure the ability to convince is always such a good thing. I won’t give a recital of the names of evil convincers of past and present history. I’m afraid a lot of people give up their savings to ‘convincing salesmen.’ I think being a bit uncertain, naive, fallow, hesitant, is a first sign of intelligence.

Who can have certainties in the world we are living in?

George Bush Sr. is quoted literally (above) as saying “I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.” Why complain about Islam, when we have this going on at home? – in the land of free speech, “the brave and the free”, the self-made man. By comparison Obama’s speech is a blessing on our souls. But my ‘heart’, if I still have one, is with him, as it’s not going to be easy for him to live up to his ideals.

By “for us,” he meant for their children and grandchildren and future generations, knowing that they themselves were unlikely to live more than a modest existence

Do you think Obama mean’t his own dad? Obama senior never struck me as a family man, thou he did end up with a very “modest existence”.

I have also been re-reading Obama’s Jeremiah Wright speech and it moved me to tears. I can’t agree with you guys about Kinnock – I thought he was a terrible windbag. And I’ve been a Party member for years.

P.

“They did it for themselves. America is built on the collective good that follows from individuals seeking to serve their self interest.”

As Gene says: absolute sub-Ayn Rand twaddle.

P.