I have posted the text and audio of President Obama’s Inauguration speech, but will offer only limited general comments at this time.

Over the last eight years many on the left have refused to address President Bush by his rightful title, referring to him merely as “Bush” or in more derogatory terms. I will not disrespect the dignity of the office and will refer to our current president as President Obama.

I hope and pray that he enacts policies that are consistent with the constitution and the principles of the founding fathers, and will support him when he does. However, my expectations are not high and I will strongly oppose him when he does not adhere to the oath that he took today to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I found many conflicts in his inaugural speech, and want to take some more time analyzing the text before commenting in detail. In my opinion the quality of this speech fell far short of what we have come to expect from Barack Obama.
There were times when the words he spoke could have come from Ronald Reagan, but those words do not align with his past statements and actions.
There were other parts of the speech that were fully consistent with his record and rhetoric of big government solutions to any situation.

I am confident that he has not suddenly become a fan of President Reagan, and realize that we will once again have to closely parse the President’s words and rummage through the fluff and camouflage to try to determine the true thoughts behind the words.

It will certainly be an interesting four years!

Obama Inauguration Speech

My fellow citizens,

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, 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 forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
Read the rest of this entry »