WSJ OPINION JOURNAL - A pragmatic call to Americans to lift our national game.
Whatever your partisan inclinations, the sight yesterday of two million Americans cheering the peaceful transfer of power to a new President should stir some patriotic pride. Mr. Obama more than met the moment with an Inaugural Address that invoked America's historical purposes and optimism, as well as a bracing challenge to lift -- as he might put it in a less formal setting -- our national game.See AP photos of the Inauguration at The Frame (Sacramento Bee)...
We were especially taken with President Obama's call for "a new era of responsibility." This is the phrase his press folks had leaked the day before, and if they did so to drive the theme home, so much the better. This is a useful message for Americans of all walks of life to hear -- from Wall Street CEOs to unmarried fathers to AARP lobbyists in Washington. The prosperity of recent decades has produced a culture of entitlement and sometimes even of complacency. Read full article at WSJ...
Read Mark Steyn's response to Tom Brokaw's clueless reference to the Velvet Revolution...
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Via Email: WHAT A CLASS ACT LOOKS LIKE (H/t: Pat Wills)
January 20th:
1. Outgoing President George W. Bush quietly boards his helicopter and leaves for Texas, commenting only:
"Today is not about me. Today is a historical day for our nation and people."
Eight years ago:
1. Outgoing President Bill Clinton schedules two separate radio addresses to the nation, and organizes a public farewell speech/rally in downtown Washington D.C. scheduled to directly conflict with incoming President Bush's inauguration ceremony.
January 20th:
2. President Bush leaves office without issuing a single Presidential pardon, only granting a commutation of sentence to two former border patrol agents convicted of shooting a convicted drug smuggler. He does not grant any type of clemency to Scooter Libby or any other former political aide, ally, or business partner.
Eight years ago:
2. President Clinton issues 140 pardons and several commutations of sentence on his final day in office. Included in these are: billionaire financier, convicted tax evader, and leading Democratic
campaign contributor Marc Rich; Whitewater scandal figure Susan McDougal; Congressional Post Office Scandal figure and former Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski; convicted bank fraud, sexual assault and child porn perpetrator and former Democratic Congressman Melvin Reynolds; and convicted drug felon Roger Clinton, the President's half-brother.
January 20th:
3. The Bush daughters leave gift baskets in the White House bedrooms for the Obama daughters, containing flowers, candy, stuffed animals, DVD's and CD's, and heartfelt notes of encouragement and advice for the young girls on how to prepare for their new lives in the White House.
Eight Years ago:
3. Clinton and Gore staffers rip computer wires and electrical outlets from the White House walls, stuff piles of notebook papers into the White House toilets, systematically remove the letter "W" from every computer key-pad in the entire White House, and damage several thousand dollars worth of furniture in the White House master bedroom.
Headlines On This Date 4 Years Ago:
"Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops Die in unarmored Humvees"
"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"
"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, Ordinary Americans get the shaft"
Headlines Today:
"Historic Obama Inauguration will cost only $170 million"
"Obama Spends $170 million on inauguration; America Needs A Big Party"
"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"
"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama Inauguration"
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