Thursday, January 20, 2005

Some Inauguration Day Thoughts

With today's Inaugural ceremonies, President Bush will take the oath of office for a second term as President. As he does so, he and the entire Administration will be in my prayers. I'm asking God to give them all guidance and wisdom, along with an openness to that guidance and wisdom.

I think this is important to do because, as the late Frank Laubach, founder of the literacy movement which bears his name and a committed Christian, liked to point out, whatever counsel I might give to the President is infinitely inferior to that given by God to those with open wills. So, instead of emails, I'm going to send prayers.

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The peaceful transfer of executive power from one living individual to another was unprecedented in the history of the world before George Washington stepped down from the presidency in 1797. Prior to that, power was often wrested from one holder to the next, usually accompanied by a very permanent retirement program: death. Or power came to the descendants of executives, kings, and despots.

Of course, ten years before, the framers of the Constitution had created an executive office, the holder of which was to be elevated to the position as the result of quadrennial elections. But nobody really knew if this unprecedented arrangement would stand the tests of political ambition and time. Some urged Washington to be a king, for example.

But Washington, who had already given up complete power when he resigned his commission as general of the army following the Revolutionary War, willingly handed over the reins of power to John Adams, his presidential successor. This voluntary resignation of power changed the world's political landscape. Gradually, one nation after another has adopted variations of this arrangement ever since.

Today's events in Washington, D.C. demonstrate what an important precedent Washington and the other founders established for us.

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