On careful reading of President Bush's inaugural speech, details of what to expect in the next four years can be found couched in the sweeping platitudes.
By far, most of the 2,066-word speech was devoted implicitly or explicitly to terrorism, freedom abroad and his determination to spread democracy.
So, a case can be made that the president has forewarned the nation: He has no reservations about launching another armed expedition against any nation he deems insufficiently humane by his standards or lacking in American-style democratic stature.
"All who live in tyranny and hopelessness," he said, "can know: The United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you."
And then: "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands."
At home, Americans can plan on continued Bush-Cheney-Rove dismantling of venerable federal programs—"reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time."
Check mission statements of the Club for Growth, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute for the president's inspiration.
Translated, this means more backpedaling on environmental protection, more benefits for industry and less for individuals, a greater role for the Christian evangelical agenda, a larger paw print of conservative ideology in defense spending and a shrinking share of federal funds for state programs.
If anyone expected President Bush to be chastened by failings in Iraq, record deficits, the drain on jobs to foreign workers and lost U.S. prestige, they forget the stubbornness of Texas cowboys.
