"IT STUNK BUT I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE LOVED IT":

President Obama the Liberal Nationalist (Gil Troy, 1/21/09, History News Network)

At the inauguration, Obama seemed sobered by America’s unrealistic expectations despite such crushing challenges. While Obama’s inauguration was moving, his address was muted. Now, Obama is such a master speechmaker that, as with Babe Ruth swinging a bat, anything less than a game-winning homer disappoints. Still, Obama seemed determined to manage Americans’ expectations, warning that America’s problems could not be solved simply by sloganeering.

Obama understands that the growing cult of personality surrounding him is a great asset, giving him a mandate to succeed. But he also knows that hope is like a balloon, if properly inflated it soars into the sky, dazzling, delighting, and elevating; but if overblown, it pops. The frenzied hopes his election triggered could sour.

Translation: "the speech left me deflated, but that must have been the effect he was looking for."

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 21, 2009 10:36 AM