A Gift to the Next President - The Next Inauguration Address

Last January, I posted comments on these pages, noting that our two last major conflicts, promoted and encouraged by presidents of different parties, Johnson in Vietnam and Bush in Iraq, ended, or will end, poorly. The reason for these results is the belief that a war may be prosecuted by only a small fraction of the population and that, for the rest of us, life goes on unabated. I contrasted those conflicts with that of World War II, where the president spoke honestly and candidly about the role of every citizen in supporting the war effort and the sacrifices that had to be made and, in fact, were made.

In January, 2009, a new president will be sworn in. Whether that man or woman is Democrat or Republican, I would like to propose an Inauguration Address, one that must be made - but likely will not. It will call for candor by the next president, an honest appraisal of where we are in the fight against terrorism and will address internal needs within our own country. And, yes, it will not be inexpensive nor will it present a dishonest empty scenario for the future.

This is my suggestion:

"My fellow Americans:

"I come before you this afternoon to speak with candor and honesty about issues and problems that face this country and each and every one of its citizens. For too long, my predecessors, of both political parties, and liberal or conservative, have failed you by keeping unpleasant realities hidden for political gain. It was felt, again by each and every president over the past fifty years that the American people would reject any administration that did not display unbridled optimism, or assert that, if the aims and values we hold so dear, a price must be paid, by us all.

"The time has come to face that reality confident that the people will respond to the need to pay the price for Freedom.