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Inauguration: The times demand a great speech

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Alot of mumbo jumbo | 7:50 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
the speech will be a whole lotta we need change blah blah blah...with a $700B bail out planned sure seems like a whole lotta the same. government has no power to create jobs.. people will be disappointed when his plan nose dives the dollar deeper into worthlessness, our foreign neighbors stop using the dollar and our empire is finally brought to our knees. the fed gov needs to leave the economy alone it will heal itself.. get ready for change alright...store food and invest in foreign commodities the change will be scary!
Talk is cheep | 8:30 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Action speeks louder then words alone. The times demand a great speech?, "WRONG", The times demand Action, not just pretty words that melt like gumdrops in your hands, but something that will settle in the nation's prosperity and more monies in their wallets with less taxes.
Ronbo | 9:40 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
I remember kennedys' words, but ol Ronnie...not so much.
Comments continue below
Blaine Lee | 9:45 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
I didn't vote for him. But since election day I have not ceased to pray for him. We all might. He needs it; and we need to be humble enough to recognize that the challenges are significant and what we have already done may not be sufficient for the future. I will applaud whatever words he uses to invite us to a better future that we create together.
Can You Hear Me Now? | 10:00 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Put Obama in front of a teleprompter and the result will be judged by many as a "great" speech; not based on content, but solely in its manner of presentation.

Let's face it folks, the majority of our citizens are impressed more by "style" than "substance" when it comes to speeches from our leaders.

In this age of overanalysis of anything verbal except exaggeration, even Lincoln's Gettysburg Address would have been mercilessly critiqued as an inferior product presented by a country bumpkin.
Marie Devine | 10:52 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
A speech to be remembered for generations:

You are the people of our future and God has given you the right to determine your future. You voted for change because you saw a need for change.

We are in the midst of a great financial crisis and our nation looks at world problems that have spread to other nations, war, pollution, energy crisis, global warming fears, crime, disease and high health care costs and social security inadequacies

We have two choices. We can go into greater debt to try to restore our nation with jobs and technology or we can see the consequences of doing that in the past, and turn toward a real solution that can solve the world problem we created by ignoring God�s wisdom.

The goal in life is not employment. That caused our world problems. The goal in life and the solution to our problems is a retirement lifestyle, a garden paradise we create with trees, plants and animals that give fresh food around us. A garden paradise lifestyle is the promise of God in many holy books. It is fair, beautiful, inexpensive and sustainable through the ages and available world-wide.
Reagan or Kennedy... | 11:11 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Please. Mr. Obama will give a great speech, that's what he does. Then he won't do any of things he talked about.

Kennedy or Reagan?

More like Jimmy Carter.
KM | 11:24 a.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Style vs. substance?

We have elected an American Idol for president. Get ready for platitudes and poverty.
Retirement Lifestyle? | 12:12 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
To Marie Devine - come on...do you really think the dems would go along with Obama if he were to utter such platitudes about God as much as you speak?

Besides, the socialist utopia you describe has been tried before with no success. One example from this country was the New Harmony experiment which was attempted in New Harmony, Indiana in the early 1800. What happened to cause its failure? Some folks in the commune worked, others were simply too lazy (retirement lifestyle?) to produce and lived off the fruits of someone else's labor. The other major contributor to the New Harmony experiment's failure.....too many aristocrats, scientists, intellectuals, etc. There were no carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, cooks or anyone to perform such mundane but nonetheless duties critical to a successful society.

If we do not learn the lessons of history we are doomed to repeat history.

Retirement Lifestyle indeed!!!
Anonymous | 12:57 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
We are blessed having elected a president that has a command of his native language, English. Obama is no idol or messiah anywhere but on Fox and talk radio. He is a man, it would be blaspheme to believe a man can become a god on earth.

Onbama isn't perfect, it just a lot better than who he will replace in the White House.

Being a liberal, I have come to accept that there are no knights in shinning armor who will ride in as America is hanging by a tread and save us. It will take efforts of many to solve America's problems.

America is a nation of citizens, not a nation of singular despotic rule. Americans have endured eight years of presidential tyranny of a president whose ego thought he was the "great decider." This is the closest America is come to having a despot.

We are blessed the end of one evil nears. No messiah is coming on the 20th. We as Americans are still responsible for what our nation will become.

Conservatives have lived in a world of victimization. The sky has been falling. We aren't a nation of victims. The sky hasn't fallen yet.
Anonymous | 12:59 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
I believe many of you who feel that obama brings style only to the job will be disappointed, even if politics forbids you to even think it. He's brining quiet competence to the table, too, and we're all going to be better for it. I'm more worried about so many people who think we can spend like we have recently, and who think we could maintain our ownership of Iraq without paying for it. The fiscal reckoning we need, and which we may be beginning to experience, isn't necessarily the fault of obama or even bush. But don't blame obama if he tells you the truth about the sacrifices you may need to make to get past it. It's not platitude. It's reality, and it's not pretty. You want no taxes or government interference? Try somalia.
No Change Unless? | 2:06 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
When the liars, theives and decieving financial leaders (including most big business) leaders are imprisoned, fired, and indentified we will start to reconstruct our country. This also includes corrupt, and lazy politicians. Just look at what some of these crooks have taken from our society, like Madoof and many others. When are we going to punish people for breaking our economy? Then and only then will we start to rebuid. This corrupt attitude must be stopped and punished.
Anonymous | 3:54 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Storms can rage around us, economies can falter, wars carried out, and debates of politics carry on without end. It seems to me that our duty as individuals is to vote, to be informed, to be productive and to make our homes and families a place of peace and refuge.

Kindness in the home, living within our means, faith in God,an optimistic attitude applied to the reality of our times, having a food storage...there is much we can do and should do. We can have peace in our homes and in our lives regardless of what happens around us.
Public Speaking 101 | 4:33 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Is this what we really need? Obama will get nothing done in the next four years not because of the GOP but because Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will be causing headaches for everything he attempts.
I hope he can | 6:03 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
"Obama is responsible for the crashing economy."
(We actually had a person at work say that) I didn't vote for him but I pray that he can do anything that will bring positive change about. If we could have some of the main-stream Obama bashers tone it down perhaps the hate would stop. What we need is our elected officials in D. C. working together for the benefit of the country rather than just their respective party. Perhaps that is too big an order for all the professional politicians seeking money and power. The party provides both for them.
Lute | 7:37 p.m. Jan. 11, 2009
Just wondering if a DN story ever headlined an upcoming Bush speech and demanded that it be "great". Yes, I know - it's an AP story. Put this prediction in stone: no matter what words emerge from the inauguration, Obama will have critics in this space who will demand he (on his first day in office) "do something". We're all raging capitalists when things are good, but let hard times come around, and we line up for the dole, all feeling we've earned it.

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Luis Alvarez, Associated Press

A worker cleans the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as preparations continue for Inauguration Day.

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