Photo courtest of Jon Streeter
Several Hillsdale students and graduates attended this year’s inaugural celebration in Washington, D.C.
Among the thousands of people in Washington, D.C. on Thursday for George W. Bush's second presidential inauguration were several Hillsdale College students and graduates, who braved cold weather and crowded streets to take part in the festivities.
Junior Jon Streeter endured the 35-degree weather and strong winds to listen to the president's address.
Though Bush's 21-minute inauguration speech has been widely criticized by Democrats and some media personalities as “aggressive,” “provocative,” and “arrogant,” many of the president's supporters are excited by the commitment to liberty that he demonstrated.
Streeter said he agreed with the president's focus on liberty because “the best way to stop terrorism is to have free countries in the Middle East and elsewhere ; free nations that for the most part don't attack each other.”
Although Bush avoided specific policy issues for most of his speech, he challenged oppressive governments to serve rather than dominate their people.
“The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know to serve your people, you must learn to trust them,” he said.
Any vagueness the president demonstrated didn't bother Streeter, however.
“I did think it was vague, but I didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing, because inaugural addresses are usually vague. I expect more specifics in the State of the Union Address,” he said.
Another junior, Jan Mensonides, said she appreciated Bush's conviction that all people “bear the image of the Maker of heaven and earth.” She said she was glad he referred to the Bible, but she said of his mention of the Koran: “I didn't think he needed to do that–that was probably the high point and the low point of the speech.”
In the wake of the Jan. 19 Supreme Court rejection of Michael Newdow's suit against prayer at the inauguration ceremony, the president referred to God, the Bible, and the Koran several times. The prayer was delivered as planned after the president took the oath of office.
Mensonides said she didn't see the president's speech as confrontational like some critics have described. “I think he was just reiterating what he said before. I think it was strong, but I don't necessarily think that strong is confrontational,” she said.
Later Thursday evening, Mensonides attended the Stars and Stripes Ball, where the ppresident made a brief appearance. She said that the ball was her favorite part of the whole celebration.
Betsy Foster, a Hillsdale alumna, helped the Presidential Inaugural Committee coordinate the efforts of the 2,000 volunteers helping with the event. She said the inaugural parade was over two hours long and included a float from every state in the nation.
In response to the criticism that Bush has received for the expense of his celebration, Foster said: “It was paid for by private donations; none of it was paid for by taxpayers. A lot of it was paid for by people buying tickets.”
She said the Inaugural Committee's “goal was to be as frugal as possible.”
Bush reaffirmed that the goal of defeating tyranny “is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary.”
He went on to praise the service of men and women in the military, in diplomacy and in intelligence jobs for their sacrifices for the country. He also challenged Americans to serve others.
“Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself, and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character,” he said.
He stressed personal responsibility for society, saying, “In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character, on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience in our own lives.”
The president also briefly mentioned the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act and the GI Bill of Rights, promising to reform “great institutions to serve the needs of our time.