Inauguration Day
Posted by Joshua Claybourn on 21 January 2005 | 4 responses
Peggy Noonan: “The administration’s approach to history is at odds with what has been described by a communications adviser to the president as the ‘reality-based community.’ A dumb phrase, but not a dumb thought: He meant that the administration sees history as dynamic and changeable, not static and impervious to redirection or improvement. That is the Bush administration way, and it happens to be realistic: History is dynamic and changeable. On the other hand, some things are constant, such as human imperfection, injustice, misery and bad government. This world is not heaven.” Leave your thoughts in this open thread about the inauguration ceremonies.
4 Responses to “Inauguration Day”
Can we, please, issue an All Points Bulletin that sets the record straight? If the speaker or writer uses the word “history” in reference to past events than it cannot be changed. Only the interpretation of history can change.
This goes for Peggy Noonan, sundry administration officials and the History Channel, among many others. After 9/11, the HC kept running a spot calling it “the Day that Changed History.” For a channel devoted to history (well, supposedly) this was a really laughable bit of copy. Maybe the kids in the Bush Playpen are big fans.
Patrick, I think the idea is the continuing unfolding of history. History is being created with every passing moment. Affecting these passing moments is what we are talking about here. Some have said we are in a post-historical era – they do not mean that time has stopped, (and they are on the left, so its not just a consevative thing). When we say Reagan “changed” history by bringing down the Soviet Union, we mean he affected the expected course of events. Few other than Reagan thought this was possible, but he did, so should we also think of him as prophetic? This brings me to Bush’s speech. He utters words similar to Reagan’s. He believes that the expected course of events can be changed; that democracy can flourish in unlikely places. This is visionary. This is progressive. This is America at her best.
Okay, I know I came off too huffy in my comment. My apologies.
I understand WHY the phrase is used. And I understand Fukuyama. I was just being a crank about it. It certainly wasn’t a shot at conservatives, or anybody else.
The Inaugural Address – Off the Cuff
So Bush and his cohorts had a big party yesterday; and George got to make a big speech. His speeches are always impressive, in that it’s truly amazing to see a man of his intellectual capacity string more than two…