Posted on 01/21/2005 4:19:45 AM PST by Mikmur
PEGGY NOONAN
Way Too Much God Was the president's speech a case of "mission inebriation"?
The inaugural address itself was startling. It left me with a bad feeling, and reluctant dislike. Rhetorically, it veered from high-class boilerplate to strong and simple sentences, but it was not pedestrian. George W. Bush's second inaugural will no doubt prove historic because it carried a punch, asserting an agenda so sweeping that an observer quipped that by the end he would not have been surprised if the president had announced we were going to colonize Mars. A short and self-conscious preamble led quickly to the meat of the speech: the president's evolving thoughts on freedom in the world. Those thoughts seemed marked by deep moral seriousness and no moral modesty.
The president's speech seemed rather heavenish. It was a God-drenched speech. This president, who has been accused of giving too much attention to religious imagery and religious thought, has not let the criticism enter him. God was invoked relentlessly. "The Author of Liberty." "God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind . . . the longing of the soul."
And yet such promising moments were followed by this, the ending of the speech. "Renewed in our strength--tested, but not weary--we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." This is--how else to put it?--over the top. It is the kind of sentence that makes you wonder if this White House did not, in the preparation period, have a case of what I have called in the past "mission inebriation." A sense that there are few legitimate boundaries to the desires born in the goodness of their good hearts.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Oh thanks. I am such a dimwit. I never would have guessed without a genius like you explaining it to me.
You may be right.
"The American Dorothy has killed the wicked witch, now it is time for the Iraqi munchkins to make it on their own. If they can't, then tough darts for them!"-
All in due time my pretty..all in due time. (sorry..couldn't resist.tee hee)
If it were proactive, as in preemptive invasions, and about spreading freedom then I guess Castro would have long since been history.
The first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem. Good luck to you.
"I couldn't resist a pop culture reference; still I stand by it.--
Hey..I thought it was funny. :) A little humor is much needed in these debates.
"I cannot believe that a non-liberal would bash this speech. Perhaps she is just not comfortable with God herself. She surely need not be embarrassed for the President, he can handle himself. As for the ending; isn't it accepted that America was founded under God to spread freedom and liberty, both religious and economic? Ms Noonan did us a disservice her by giving fuel to the anti-American, anti-religious zealots in our country."
You summed up what she said very well. I totally agree with you. Now she's given all the liberals cover to bash the President.
What is going on with her?
This is the result of the PC thought police. With all respect to Peggy Noonan. I never thought she would be influenced by the fear of a thought crime.
This is the exact result the left seeks to achieve. The left (democrats) will now point to this article every time they feeeeeeeel threatened by God.
The want to stiffle expression before it is expressed. They want people to fear speaking out when with their piers. Only the left atheist religion is allowed to speak to exercise expression? I think not.
Nothing so destroyes a good rhetorical flourish as the introduction of detail.
Fortunately for me, Buzz got the point.
Shalom.
I never thought of it that way. Removing people from the culture is the key.
It was when established (are you a recent government school product?).
That is why we conservatives are so concerned about the current immigration policy/philosophy. They seem to us to be a road map to Balkanization.
I wouldn't agree that Juan is hated. I would agree with you if you said he is decently and brightly monotonous. How many new ideas have you gotten from him?
My personal impression, from watching Juan Williams so much, is that he is very, very, very, very, very, very, very (almost scarily) predictable.
That's why I wrote, up above, that it was nice that his appreciation for Bush's efforts against AIDS shone through on that day.
I'd love to see Juan express his spontaneous feelings more often.
"The United States survived quite happily from 1783 to 1917 without intervening (i.e. "spreading freedom") in the Old World's problems."
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Don't we all just wish it could be that way again? I don't think the world community will let us though go back to that bliss....do you? I don't like it anymore than you do. My Nephew goes back in March.
Hey, Noonan. If you don't like it, take it up with GOD !
By Jingo!
OK, I agree with you there. However, the reality is that we get the intentions and the actions mixed together as some plans are being laid as others are being completed. Also, often the actions are wanting based on the intentions. Some knowledge of both is important.
Consider the possibilities:
A non-Christian who follows Christian teachings well.
A non-Christian who doesn't follow Christian teachings well.
A Christian who follows Christian teachings well.
A Christian who follows Christian teachings poorly.
Hypothetically speaking, do you think it would matter which a person is if presented with an opportunity to "off" an opponent in a way that would not be revealed?
Shalom.
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