January 21, 2005

The New York Times > Washington > Transcript: Inaugural Address by George W. Bush

President Bush has big ideas. Pundits on TV last night generally seemed positively disposed to his words. The devil, of course, is in the details. I think he's right, but cultural and religious forces combined with ignorance and fear conspire to enable depots and evil men to control others. Nevertheless, freedom and liberty is our best hope.

"We have seen our vulnerability and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, violence will gather and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world."

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