Comments on The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Obama Inaugural: Paine, not Washington

As I understand it this quote is from the first es...

2009-01-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

As I understand it this quote is from the first essay of Paine's in The Crisis. Washington was apparently so impressed that he had the essay read to the troops at Valley Forge. So the set up paragraph in Obama's speech is referring to conditions that obtained at Valley Forge while the quote from Paine refers to the winter before.

Thanks for the information. I posted a link to yo...

2009-01-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the information. I posted a link to your site on a similar post on my site.

http://www.hopeandchange.net/2009/01/george-washington.html

Thanks for clearing this up--I'll go with the Tren...

2009-01-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks for clearing this up--I'll go with the Trenton explanation, but to me it seems like a mash-up of both of the winters of 1776-77 and 1777-78.

I wonder why he/Favreau didn't want to be more explicit? ("Winter of our Discontent" is a bit overblown for our moment, perhaps.) This historical reference would not pass muster in an essay submitted to me.

In my opinion, Obama is drawing a parallel between...

2009-01-21T12:12:00.000-05:00

In my opinion, Obama is drawing a parallel between the struggles we faced in the Revolutionary War with the struggles we face now as a nation. Cold winter, common enemy, despair.

It's seems to me that Obama is saying that Washing...

2009-01-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

It's seems to me that Obama is saying that Washington ordered these words of Paine read to the soldiers, to discourage them from leaving service. Is this how you take it? Is it true?

Thanks, Benjamin. I will update my post. Thanks ...

2009-01-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Benjamin. I will update my post. Thanks for reading.

Congress abandoned Philadelphia for a brief time i...

2009-01-20T20:07:00.000-05:00

Congress abandoned Philadelphia for a brief time in December 1776, too.

This was part of the Patriots' strategy from the beginning--if things became too hot on the coast, just abandon the coast for safer parts of the country. Looks like we blogged similarly today.