Bush's second inaugural might be a winner,
might be a loser, but will be remembered

After a weird stumble in which he called Communism a "shipwreck" and the years of peace between the Cold War and Sept. 11 a "sabbatical," President Bush hit it out of the park with a plainly written speech謡e think the last written by outgoing chief speechwriter Mike Gerson葉hat promised a lot.

He said we're going to wipe out dictators and tyrants everywhere and spread freedom around the world. "Liberty," he promised, "will come to those who love it."

(No doubt, most conservatives crossed their arms and said to themselves, how exactly are you going to do that?)

And he talked with surprising directness about how our nation should help its weakest members. "Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another," he said, adding, "Even the unwanted have worth."

(No doubt, most liberals sat back and listened to this RFK stuff and said, "Sounds great, George. It just doesn't sound like YOU.")

None of us will know how good this speech was until we see how it sounds four years from now and more from the perspective of either a freer world and a more compassionate nation--or the drearier opposite.

JFK's inaugural sounded better as years went by; Nixon's second inaugural sounded worse; and other inaugurals were all but forgotten entirely.

But for the most part, Bush's speech sounded awfully good today, and its boldness emboldens me to make at least one prediction: This speech will be remembered.

Speechwriters, do you agree?