High marks for behavior, maturity (Jan 21)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
President Obama’s first inaugural speech won’t go down in history alongside those of Franklin Roosevelt or John Kennedy. But his behavior, and that of former President Bush, set high standards for the handing over of the presidency.
As he began his speech, Obama thanked Bush for taking steps to make sure the transition of government was smooth and free of conflict. Obama saw Bush off as the former president boarded the presidential helicopter for one last time on his way out of Washington.
Bush did his best, starting even before election night, to make sure Obama and his team would have an easy time in transition. He kept Obama apprised of what he was doing to try to deal with the nation’s financial crisis. Obama’s people weren’t refused information, but were kept abreast of all that was going on.
For his part, Obama demurred when reporters tried to get him to second-guess Bush on the financial crisis, saying, “We only have one president at a time.”
Obama’s inaugural speech, while little was wrong with it, seemed less of a stemwinder than he has been known to make, such as those in the “Yes, We Can” mode.
Perhaps he realizes, now the election is over, that his “Hope” campaign may have raised the expectations of at least some of his supporters to unsustainable heights.
His speech seemed to emphasize that while his supporters can still believe in change, it may be a while before they actually see it.
Traditionally, the presidential honeymoon lasts about 100 days. In Obama’s case, it may last a bit longer than that, because he brings a lot of political chips into the game.
But he seems to know that reality may temper expectations, at least for a while. That gives him high marks for maturity as well as behavior.
