First lady Laura Bush and President Bush watch the Inaugural Parade January 20 in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Bush's second inaugural address was an extraordinary statement of his belief that his mission -- and the nation's -- is to spread freedom and democracy throughout the world. It was also a declaration of U.S. foreign policy. Joining the panel to discuss the president's speech and what it may say about the next four years are James Taranto, editor of OpinionJournal.com and John Fund, who writes for OpinionJournal.com.
"What does the president's speech tell you about his plans for the second term?"
"It tells me that this president intends to pursue a revolutionary foreign policy. What makes this revolutionary is his statement 'The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.' Our national interests depend on our pursuing our national ideals."
"I don't know why anyone would complain about over-reaching. What did they expect him to say? 'We're for partial freedom in the world? We're for half freeing of slavery.' It makes no sense."
"One phrase I'd like to call attention to is 'This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary.' He went on to say that freedom must be chosen by the people, and that we will support the people who make that choice."
"George Bush was thrust into asserting America's role in the world because of 9/11. Now he has to lay out a real plan on how to accomplish America's spreading the freedom message. I think he's going to do that in some very unusual ways. It's not going to be, as the European's fear, through military force so much."
