Let's take a look at President Obama's Inaugural Address to the United States of America and put it into the context of where we currently sit in American history. 

One criticism thrown at Barack Obama—generally by self-identified Republicans—is his use of "rhetoric."  I'd like to make a quick point of clarification about the word 'rhetoric.'  'Rhetoric' literally means the ability to speak or write effectively.  When used as an insult, 'rhetoric' is supposed to also carry a sense that words being used are ambiguious, flowery or misleading.  'Rhetoric' means no such thing though!  The word 'rhetoric' cannot be allowed to mean anything less than "speaking and writing effectively."

Period!

If there is an opinion to be expressed beyond 'he's a good speaker' then openly make the argument.  Do not allow 'rhetoric' to be made shameful!  We should honor those who communicate clearly our place in the world.  On the list of such people to be honored (for me): John Stuart Mill, Howard Zinn, Dr. Ramsey Eric Ramsey, Aristotle, John Steinbeck, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr...these people have worked in rhetoric and life's opposing forces.

John Stuart Mill speaks to the limitations we must exercise in order to be free.
Howard Zinn speaks to an acceptance of who Americans are historically.
Ramsey Eric Ramsey and JohnSteinbeck express love as the best thing we can want in a messed up world.
Aristotle instructs the commitment to living ethically.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. demonstrate--an era we can still kind of understand, if we try--struggling for something better.

Barack Obama hasn't hit that list yet.  He is an eloquent speaker.  He expresses things about America (from an official post in America) that haven't been said in many years.  Rhetoric is beautiful.  Rhetoric is our link to what has been said before us.  Moving forward as if people haven't lived before before us shows a short-sightedness which can only leave oneself as unprepared in the world as possible. 

On to Obama's text:

"...every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents."

You respect your Elders!

"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.  These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics."

This is a mixed bag from President Obama.  He is dwelling in opposites here and maintaining calm.  The war picture is a statement with no real value.  He almost invites you to draw your on conclusion which is was a politician in a democracy should do.  I would like to hear 'we're getting out of the war business' but Obama's rhetoric is miles away from W. Bush's 'charge to war' speeches.

That's good!

President Obama talked about schools, health care, homes, jobs and the nation.  Put those all together and you've got people.  The one thing here I find troubling is "prepare the nation for a new age."  "New age" needs to be defined better.  It could sound sinister in the future.

"On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."

Yeah...about that.

" The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age."

Too much science.  Too much technology. 

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."

Here is where I think Obama shines.  Barack Obama talks about people as if they matter.  The question comes down, I think, to how someone uses the term democracy.  Is democracy the right to vote with your dollar?  Or, is democracy the right to voice your opinion?  An opinion comes from a person.  A dollar comes from an account.  If you don't trust the people around you, you don't want to hear their opinions.

"Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good."

Obama treads the line here very well.  He's talking about workers and owners.  Proletariat and bourgeois.  The haves and the have-nots.  It's a conversation that doesn't play well in the United States of America.  Start talking about 'the workers' in the States and you have issues; therefore, the rich guys become "the Market" and everybody else is "the Economy."

"Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."

Hopefully, this is a sign President Obama might try to reign in the military-industrial complex in Washington.  President Eisenhower warned of the perils of an ever expanding military-industrial complex in his Farewell Address in 1961.  President Eisenhower said:
"Responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.  In this revolution, research has become central, it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government."

Back to Obama text:

"We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan...We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

He speaks to history which is good.  He handles the horror that is our common history tactfully and in a controlled manner.  He's painting in opposites and giving you an opportunity to draw your own conclusions about what he's saying.  I'm still troubled by "new era of peace" though.

" To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

This seems something more along the lines of what Jesus would say.  I never got the sense that George W. Bush ever understood the Bible.  It's pretty clear Obama seems to have absorbed the message better than Bush.

"...to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect."

Again he is playing right at the line of being called a 'Socialist.'  Nations enjoying plenty were historically imperialist states subjecting other states to colony status.  In the end, President Obama offers ideas in opposition with one another and acknowledges the opposition.  That's how the world works. 

Nothing in the world is simple. 

By just addressing the world as opposites, President Obama may be able to shift the conversations taking place in our country and our world.  Obama is not a savior; howver, he has managed to get to a place where noone else like him has been by saying things that haven't been said since at least the early 1980's when Jimmy Carter was in office.  Carter does not seem to be fondly remembered as a successful president by a lot of people.  These men (Carter and Obama) seem to speak about people rather than individual situations.

The Inaugural Address is designed to give the president the opportunity to deliver his (or her) agenda to the American public.  President Obama did a fine job in delivering his agenda as he offers a lot of hope for the future.

As has been discussed on this blog before, hope is the economy!