Bush Inauguration Address Combats Tyranny with Freedom

Add to this Bush's later statement, "Americans at our best value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth," and we see a clear statement on the sanctity of human life and a rejection of the dangerous belief that the value of human beings can be assigned by other humans. Bush thereby establishes a basis for his assertion that "no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave" and tyranny can be ended by propagating freedom.

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

This statement drew my attention because it embodies, in one sentence, key aspects of his speech. First, the U.S. will no longer work with tyrants. Captain Ed writes, " For too long, we have allowed those who trade stability for freedom in other nations to achieve the peace of the moment. On 9/11, we found out that this has its own price, and that we received no bargain for our efforts. Excusing dictators and kleptocrats in the long run creates fury, rage, and hopelessness that these same autocrats find useful in directing against us for their own purposes. That cycle has to end, for our own security." Bush said the U.S. will "clarify" the moral choice between oppression and freedom and "encourage" other governments to treat their citizens with dignity. [The first country that comes to my mind is China]

The second part Bush's statement above indicates that Democracy cannot be imposed on a population that rejects it. Instead, the people must desire freedom and when they do the U.S. will help. He also said, "Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities."

Consequently, David Limbaugh suggests that Neoconphobes should "relax" because Bush believes that "the best way to ensure the long term defeat of radical Islam, is for democracy to take root and spread among these Muslim nations spawning new terrorists every day.."

There is truth in this statement but there is more that must be considered, a basis for freedom and liberty. For this I turn to Donald Sensing who is in the process of writing a book that describes the religious basis for the war in which the United States finds itself embroiled. In a recent post he contrasts the President's statements with the beliefs of The Islamic Army in Iraq. The Islamicists declare, " No one should be fooled by the infidel religion of democracy and by the concept of freedom..". [italics added]. Bush, on the otherhand stated:

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. ... History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

Sensing concludes,

If religion can be defined as that which forms one's ultimate concerns, then the war against Islamic terrorists should be defined as a religious war - even more so because, as the president explicitly realized today, America was founded on the notion that human liberty is a condition of our creation by God.

This insightful comparison shows that Bush's Christianity leads him to an understanding of liberty while flavors of Islam, practices by the enemies of the West, stands opposed to libery and freedom. However, I am confused, actually disappointed, by the following pluralistic appeal given by the President:

That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The competing worldviews, based on religious ideology, have different "standards" for what is "good" and are therefore incompatible as a basis for determining what is "true". Update: Dianna West writes that the U.S. must be able to name its enemy in order to win. [Washington Times via Powerline]

However, Bush gives a remarkable conclusion which will be appreciated for generations to come:

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.

Others Blogging:

Spreading Understanding - The speech is packed with excellent and moving lines regarding freedom and our stance with the world. He is reassuring to our allies, firm with our enemies, and optimistic about our future. What more can you ask for?

Neophyte Pundit - We must be renewed, we must ensure that our prosperity is not spent only on our own selfishness. We have the duty to serve mankind and honor our forefathers by finishing the work they began, by spreading our ideals of freedom and liberty. God given, God inspired, and God's gift to all, not just to be hidden behind our borders.

Mod-Blog - And while I do not know if this goal is truly [achievable] - after all tyranny has been around far longer than democracy, and appears to be the natural state of Man - it is a goal worth striving for, worth sacrificing for, and even worth dying for.

Powerline's Deacon - In substance, tone, and (at times) rhetorical style, the speech withstands comparison to the first and best such address I've heard -- President Kennedy's in 1961.

Media Soul - If you know the Scripture of the Bible you will have heard a multitude of Scriptural references throughout the speech.... I highlight the words "the words of the Koran" in red because if the speech writers had left this out the speech would have been perfect. 

I conclude this long post with the words of William Penn, "If we will not be governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants."

Update: Pastor Doug Wilson weighs in on the "Koran".
See Religion of Peace by Blogma for a review of Islam.