Waiting for Obama and Thoughts from Kant

drawing by marguerita-for the moment they can see in him what they hope to see.

On Tuesday, all eyes and ears will be turned to the man whose oratorical skills have been compared to Abraham Lincoln’s, Franklin Roosevelt’s and John Kennedy’s. What does Barack Obama need to do in his inaugural address? We asked William Safire and other former presidential speechwriters for their ideas.'The Speech': An Experts' Guide - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

For, in the present case,we shall commence with the principles and proceed to the concepts and only then, if poosible, to the senses; whereas in the case of the speculative reason we began with the senses, and had to end with the principles.
from Critique of Practical Reason by Emmanuel Kant