The Online NewsHour asks:

Generally speaking, what are the goals of an inaugural address? How does it compare to a campaign or state of the union speech?

Ray Price responds:

An Inaugural is uniquely sacramental in nature: the peaceful transfer of power it represents is one of the key elements that have made ours the oldest surviving democracy on earth. It should both help heal the divisions of the past campaign, and set the directions for the new administration. It’s parsed closely not only here at home, but all around the world – and with the U.S. as the sole remaining superpower, the whole world is really among our constituencies and among our responsibilities. It needs to be uplifting, yet also realistic. It should never promise what can’t be delivered. But it should speak, in those wonderful words made immortal by Abraham Lincoln, to "the better angels of our nature," even as it summons us to those exertions required to make the future we seek achievable.

Ted Sorensen responds:

Inaugural: Lofty, non-partisan, vision, basic principles. State of the Union: More domestic-oriented, specific legislative proposals.

Next question...

1) Who was the first president to use a speechwriter?

2) How do you become a speechwriter?

3) How much does a president contribute to his speeches?

4) What are the goals of an inaugural address?

5) What should be the theme of Bush's speech?

6) How long should an inaugural speech be?

Library of Congress: Presidential Inaugurations

National Museum of American History: The American Presidency

George W. Bush's Campaign Speeches