Last week, I was privileged to attend the second inauguration of George W. Bush. While enjoying the festivities, I realized that, notwithstanding the expense, inaugurations are a time of great hope and encouragement.
On Tuesday, Congressman Pickering and his family hosted a Mississippi Party that featured B.B. King and Blues Traveler. Those in attendance included Gov. Barbour, Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (a Mississippi State graduate) and Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
On Thursday, the official swearing-in took place. The long lines and security checkpoints reminded me that we are at war. At one point, a loud explosion sounded off and startled many visitors who began to run and even scared some Transportation Security Administration baggage checkers on loan from the airport, only to learn that it was an inaugural cannon release.
After waiting in the long line for a long period of time, I happened to secure tickets in a better section which I used to view the inaugural from the base of the podium from which Bush was speaking. Many Mississippians attended one of nine official inaugural balls which Bush visited. All of the celebrations were great times for Mississippians and Americans to experience the inauguration of the president.
I also met many Democrats who were there and saw many protesters fervently demonstrating on behalf of their causes.
Another opportunity, which I previously discovered as a D.C. intern, was the ability to attend congressional hearings. I, along with some others, decided to find the Condoleezza Rice hearings which we were watching on T.V. Once we found the hearing, Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Barbara Boxer were grilling her about the Bush administration’s foreign policy strategies.
Many have asserted that the president’s foreign policy goals as stated in his speech were too lofty and idealistic. My question is, “When have goals in inaugural speeches not been lofty and idealistic?” When President Reagan called the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire” and demanded that the Berlin Wall be torn down, many said he was doing a disservice to diplomacy by speaking in such harsh terms and thinking in such idealistic ways.
Bush said, “We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.” Many have taken his words to mean that we must do what a founding father warned us not to do: go out and destroy foreign tyrants one by one.
While I disagree with many who believe that it is our American duty to spread democracy to all in the world, I assert that there should be no shame in seeking that all humans enjoy their God-given right to enjoy the blessings of liberty.
It’s illogical to believe that we are going to take out every tyrant in Bush’s second term. I think those affiliated with defense department are well aware now that prosecuting wars and rebuilding a nation’s infrastructure are a tall order, especially considering that we are in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It appears that after all that we have been through and improved since 9/11, we are going to get a “more humble” foreign policy that the president spoke of in 2001.
Inaugural exercises are a great experience, but now we must move forward with the affairs of our nation.
Edward Sanders is a junior political science major. He can be reached at [email protected].