Undervalued Inaugural Addresses

[Juan Marrero]

No doubt, AL's 2nd and 1st are tops, along with FDR's (1933) and JFK's string of powerful sound bites. Are there any that you think are over-looked as being powerful in substance and/or style.

I think Truman gave a very good speech in 1949 when he laid out the case against Soviet Communism as a threat to the Free World. Unsurprisingly, a very tough speech. Nixon's 1969 was beautifully written and had a message of healing that now seems poignant or ironic depending on how you see Nixon. Reagan's was pure Reagan, meaning a tough core message wrapped beautifully in patriotic platitudes.

Ike, LBJ, Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and Obama--all so-so.

W., I thought, above average, although the second speech is now very much out of favor as an invitation to perpetual war with its pledge to wipe out tyranny.