February 2009
Editorial Page 3
BY MICHAEL CHANG
Staff Writer
Barack Obama’s phenomenal
ascension to this nation’s highest
office led me to have great expec-
tations for his Inaugural Address,
but I am disappointed to say that he
fell short. As he delivered the ad-
dress, the President maintained a
serious demeanor and with his ad-
dress set a somber tone for the na-
tion and the barriers it faces in the
days ahead.
Although I believe that Presi-
dent Obama’s address was ulti-
mately inspiring to many, I was
partly let down because I had ex-
pected something better from a
man known for his oratorical prow-
ess. I thought that Obama’s trade-
mark phrases (lofty, feel-good, and
ing from Tuesday’s address and 1
think that it contributed to the let-
down. The address was succinct,
pragmatic, and did not present any
new ideas but successfully set a
President Obama used Tues-
day’s address to convince his sup-
opposed his candidacy that his ad-
ministration will place heavy em-
phasis on America’s traditional
values. He also asked for the nation
to understand that its challenges
“will not be met easily or in a short
span of time. But know this, Amer-
ancien your fii” BAHOTI-CRICL suc visenssn oars ii snsisiasn wesminans vis ine soins wer JIA Ritchey
Overall, I thought that the most : ; :
vivid, powerful line of the CE DE A Tiffany Thomas
President’s address was the invoca- . :
tion for all Americans to “pick CArIOONISL 0s 2251 ooo 0 ts vei Fibs Lauren Rodriquez
The President also used his ad- 08, Th F h WW / /
dress to wave goodbye to the era of ‘® € 0 urt d
George W. Bush, one marked by -
an erosion of civil liberties in the The Fourth Wall is a monthly, student-run newspaper for the
name of national security. “As for | Mont Alto campus of The Pennsylvania State University. Letters to
our common defense, we reject as | the Editor, comments, and queries may be addressed to Julia
false the choice between our safety Ritchey, Editor-in-Chief (jer5121@psu.edu). Penn State Mont Alto’s
and our ideals,” he said to great |The Fourth Wall can also be visited at www.clubs.psu.edu/ma/
fanfare. Declaring a new era of re- | yo fourthwall. Mail can be sent to The Fourth Wall, Campus Life
sponsibility, Obama also reached | p00 Campus Drive, Pennsylvania State University Mont Alto,
out to the Muslim world and Mont Alto, PA 17237.
pledged a renewed global role for
the United States, saying “we will
extend a hand if you are willing to
ourselves up, dust ourselves off,
and begin again the work of remak- | Staff Writers............................ Michael Chang, Adam Eisentrout,
ing America.” A large part of
Obama’s appeal lies in his innate | Joshua Enriquez, Shariyf Goldstein, Shonna Graham, Alex Hagans,
ability to mobilize the nation and
that particular line reflects that very | Andrew Keyser, Khulud Khudur, Bolanle Saba, Katie Warcholak
well.
In conclusion, I felt that Presi- § AdViSor.............ccvieeveveeeeinn,
dent Obama’s vow to drive Amer- k=
ica forward by reclaiming its core gs
values was powerful, and I believe [=
that his commitment to govern with
“soft power” is momentous. I was
% wee vis senses ANIAYCE StONE
conviction, but will also admit that Fsga
I was slightly dissatisfied with the f=
sometimes lack of substance in his |
address. In its entirety, however, I | BY
thought that the President demon- [i=
strated the strength needed to oc- |
cupy this nation’s highest office [f=
and wish him the best of luck.