Within stirring speech lies a phrase that launches a tune

Barack Obama cited made some strong points in his historic speech following his swearing in as the 44th president of the United States.

Punctuated by his signature high-sounding rhetoric and deft use of classic phrases such as:

“Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.”

Anybody who stands on the ideals of forefathers and their brilliant founding documents stands on solid ground.

He spoke about liberty and sacrifice. About war and tolerance. About honesty, courage and fair play.

But for all the pomp and circumstance, I fear I will be humming a certain tune all day because of this passage:

“Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”