The day after: parting of the word clouds

The next pat on America's back... might be the Heimlich maneuver?

One of the psycho-analytics around Obama is that he's temperate in nature. His highs and lows balance out so seamlessly we never know his mood's actually changed. I can't think of a less compatible dating profile than the one matching Obama to his new marriage partner. A nation of workaholics, high-rollers, chronic spenders, and pleasure hounds is all about what have I done for me lately. If I'm delayed the question gets pointed to what have you done to hold me up from what I should be able to do without your help.

Thar's some pendulous mood swings in thum thar economic bubblings. A country that controls its insatiable appetite for gratification is going to have to lose a little fizz in the process. Heck of a speech but I think the next false argument that's ripe for rejection is the choice between freedom and taxes. In the land of the fee all public money is about tempting governments to hike taxes. All private money is about donating some of it back to the party that helps me keep it.

This narrative is on full display in the comparative tag clouds of the Reagan, W. Bush, and Obama inauguration speeches. The respective leads are a pejorative "Government, " a "Freedom" lover of lower taxes, and the inevitable raising of the expectations we saw glimmering from ear to shining ear on the mall yesterday from Obama -- the words he chose?

1. People,


2. Nation, and


3. Every

... the latter bid for inclusion completely missing from the lips of Bush.

Interestingly, Lincoln had large helpings of "Government" and "People" -- in that order one would assume. The outcomes riding on the rhetoric could not have been in greater doubt.