Wednesday, February 01, 2006

note to dems: hire this man's speechwriter

As always, I'm a sucker for Bush's speeches (second Inaugural is still the best oration I've ever heard). Liberals wonder why half of America loves this man...listen to him talk. It's inspiring:

"Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal -- we seek the end of tyranny in our world."
"Once again, we accept the call of history to deliver the oppressed and move this world toward peace."
"Americans should not fear our economic future, because we intend to shape it."
"A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of suffering and emergency -- and stays at it until they're back on their feet."


Basically everything he said, at least on the foreign policy side, I agree with (Suzanne Nossel over at Democracy Arsenal largely says the same). My tree hugging colleagues will surely note the disconnect between Bush's actions and his words. To which I say, good point. So, let me use this as a starting point for discussion, since it's a topic that interests me greatly.

1) How do ends differ across the political spectrum (traditional conservative to neoconservative to third way liberal to traditional liberal)?
2) How do ways differ across the spectrum in the pursuit of these ends?
3) How do ideas about effective means differ across the political spectrum?
4) What values influence the choices of ways, means and ends across the political spectrum?

Developing...