Roma Bocca della Verita': Hail to the chief!

Inauguration Day 2009 in the USA. The event captured the attention of Europe as well as the USA. It was also the last day of class in this semester, and I had five hours of lessons to attend to in order to wrap up two graduate courses. I had to contain myself, therefore, so that I could get the work done. But 10 minutes before 18.00 CET (noon EST), the classes finally wrapped up (interesting how after each of the sessions there were students who wanted to linger and chat). I brought the remaining 4 students into my office, opened Facebook’s link to CNN, poured glasses of Glenlivet or Sambuca, and we toasted Joe Biden and Barak Obama as they took their oaths of office.

After the students left my office, I continued to watch the new president give his inauguration address. Thanks to live streaming video, I could «attend» the entire process in English, rather than hear the voice-over of the RAI (Italian television). Later I was able to see the RAI reports, and they were excellent: half dedicated to US foreign policy; half dedicated to the fashion report of the First Family and their entourage.

There would be many profound thoughts to write, but since everyone else on the planet is writing, texting, blogging, journaling on this event, there is no need to do this myself. Still, I just want to quote something from that discourse that I found to be the most significant.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

Some have been complaining that this is all euphoria, shallow giddiness. I don’t think it is. Barak Obama is not promising an easy time; he is challenging America to work.

Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

It is a long time since I have heard similar words. Maybe the last to speak in such a way was JFK. Later perhaps I will share a thought on that, but I want to just cite another phrase from today’s speech.