i just listened to cheney and bush get sworn in.

major themes: freedom is "eternally right". God is watching over us. Thank god for the military.

first let me say that gee-dub-yah is getting much better at public speaking. also his speech writers have put in some beautiful phrases.

con: so many references to god. right after the speech a military band played "god of our fathers". there was a direct plea to the 'young people' to join the miliatry and by doing so, joining something bigger than your wants, and bigger than yourselves.

our military, who earns us our freedom, or something like that was said. the revolutionary war and world war II i'd say lives lost were pretty clearly in the name of freedom. I'd call iraq a war of choice where every life lost is a tragedy because it is unnecessary. we spend too much money on our military and i would not want my children to be sent off to die for the political aspirations of the then-current administration.

every time bush says the advancement of freedom, or similar, i think of his definition of freedom being "american influence".

pro: the idea of "liberating tens of millions" which bush said we've supposedly done. i have to admit the idea is appealing, to use our economic and military might to exert influnce on genuinely unjust governments.

I heard this same quote on NPR just now. As Secretary of State John Quincy Adams wrote in 1821: "America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion only of her own."

someone might respond with the mistake of isolationism.