Powerful Words at a Powerful Moment

Today is an historic day. The first black President of the United States was sworn in with his hand on Abraham Lincoln's Bible. I listened to the oath and I heard the two of them blunder and it occurred to me that the reality of what they were doing exceeded their ability to comprehend it for a brief moment. As I listened, I found myself completely lost in the enormity of what I was hearing and thinking, "Wait, what did he say?" I suspect that Obama and the Chief Justics were having the same thoughts.

During President Obama's inauguration speech, I was touched by one great passage. These speeches sound full of grand, sweeping statements sometimes and it's difficult to put your mind around the gravity of the words unless you see them written. So here is the part I will remember always:

We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.

Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy.