I've now watched his address three times, and what stands out most is his almost direct repudiation of the Bush administration on nearly every level. From the environment to the economy and our relationship with the Muslim world to our ideals with respect to justice, Obama's speech was a call not just to build America, but to completely break from the direction we've received for the past eight years. His overall message of rebuilding was more a call to completely split from Bush and move towards a more just, understanding, curious and responsible country. Whereas Bush measured strength in military might and the narrowest vision imaginable, Obama sees it as a reflection of who we are and how we can lead by example.I suspect that many were looking for Obama's uplifting language of the past two years. Understandably so, but that is not what we need right now. Obama looked the country and the world right in the eye and demanded responsibility, accountability and hard work. No more breaks for the greedy, no more free passes for the crooked and no more pain and suffering in the name of some silly slogan or hazy reasoning. This is Barack Obama's call, and it was exactly what we needed to hear.
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