K ind words. Gentle words. Nothing flashy or particularly memorable. Just good, plain talk from the heart.
We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood and town better than he found it.
All ceremonial addresses are laced with generalities. The trick is to pick the right ones β and Bush did. Jimmy Carter showed how easy it is for a leader to lose his way.
He was right, of course, but missed the point nonetheless. A country conditioned to being No. From the political master he served loyally for eight years, Bush has come to appreciate the value of symbolism. By now it is innate: telegraphing decay is not the way to lead the free world. He even looked good doing it. Perhaps it was only the trappings, but George Bush finally looked presidential. The perception has already taken hold: Bush is more sensitive and caring than Ronald Reagan, more of a hands-on administrator could anyone be less?
Already his excessive jingoism has been banished, out of sync with the style he seeks to project. Before then, Bush will have four years to entrench himself, and the significant difference between the new President and his predecessor was actually highlighted months ago.
