Forty years ago, I felt excited about the inauguration of a new president. The ceremony in which Jack Kennedy took the oath of office amid much hoopla stirred in me pride and a new hope for the future. The idealism to which he gave expression in his eloquent speech to the nation promised that we Americans were entering upon a new era that would bring out the best in us all.

I will always remember, as those of us of a certain age do, that wintry day in Washington when the young man from Massachusetts called on us to ask what we could do for our country, rather than posing the question the other way around.

This past week my feelings were very different. The passage of decades has changed my outlook on many things: in particular I am no longer easily impressed by public officials. Maturity has given me a more realistic sense of how complicated national and international issues are and how intractable. Though leadership often makes a crucial difference, few people have the qualities of mind and heart needed to bring about a better world.

The ascension of George W. Bush to the presidency in particular disturbs me and makes me fear for the well-being of our nation. These feelings are grounded, not so much in the personality of the man, but rather in some of his basic values. It is upsetting to see take over the top position for at least four years someone who espouses public policy positions that I consider harmful to this country and the world.

To mention only five of the positions espoused by Bush II, I cringe at the prospect of large increases in military expenditures (especially for the missile shield), the despoiling of forests and other environmental treasures for the sake of industrial profit, reluctance to support gun control, refusal to back even mild measures for campaign finance control, and continued enthusiasm for imprisonment and capital punishment as answers to problems of crime.

These five positions and others championed by the new administration make me wince at what is happening to our country. I feel uneasy because of the values that underlie these policies. Excessive reliance upon military power and legalized violence rather than the slow, painstaking education of our people in the ways of peace seems to me self-defeating in the long run. Capital punishment, rampant gun use, and the dominance of money over everything else will, I fear, lead to a worse rather than a better society.  

In addition to these substantive issues I must confess not liking George W. Bush’s style.  Here is a man who went to Andover, Yale, and Harvard and yet he gives precious little evidence of caring about intellectual life. The joke about him having read a book when he was an undergraduate is a joke: the reason why we laugh in response is our recognition that W. does not in fact seem to care much about learning.

Nor does he evidence much personal interest in countries other than his own. Mexico counts as an exception but, in general, the former country of Texas seems to satisfy his cultural life. This I say, not out of prejudice against that state, but because I consider interest in the history and culture of other parts of the world to be a valuable quality in an American  president.

Some readers will undoubtedly find this column to be a mere exercise in political prejudice. They will see my words as those of a liberal Democrat disgruntled that one of his did not get to the White House.  

Instead, I intend this column as a further sharing of my own personal experience of growing older. As we age, often we find ourselves out of sympathy with what is happening in our society. Many people I talk to express disappointment, even disillusion with the organizations for which they have worked. They see things changing in ways that distress them because they are convinced that the changes do not serve the best interests of the organizations themselves or the people who work for them.

That’s the way I am feeling this week about the changes in national leadership. And I contrast these feelings with what I experienced forty years ago and at other times in our national life. Of course, I realize that the Kennedy administration did not fulfill the idealism that it professed. Nor did his successors who spoke grandiose words but did not follow through on their promises.

So while watching the inauguration last week I felt some pain. Perhaps W. and his allies will surprise us but whatever little wisdom that I have gained over the years gives me precious little confidence that any leader with the values that he has promulgated can give his fellow citizens what we really need.

Richard Griffin