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We hope President Clinton listened to his own second inaugural address on Monday. If he did, he has two excellent chances to practice what he is preaching.
On Monday, he called on Americans in general and politicians in particular to stop their bickering and to work together in order to forge an America that will be, in his phrase, "a land of new promise." He has at hand two superb opportunities to demonstrate his willingness to give a good example of what he means:
1. He called for the creation of "schools with the highest standards in the world." Now he could add: "And parents will be able to choose which schools they want their children to attend -- with the government supporting their choice." With that choice, schools will be forced to improve. Without it, some children will continue to be neglected.
Right now, many Catholic schools already have the highest standards in the world; but poor parents can't afford the tuition to take advantage of those standards. A voucher system would allow them to make the right choice for their child's education, something rich people like the President already exercise (cf. his own daughter's private schooling). His immediate support for such legislation would help bring it through Congress quickly.
2. Mr. Clinton also talked glowingly about America's successfully "extending the circle of dignity to women" in the 20th century. Now he could continue that extension in the 21st century by widening the circle to include unborn children (half of whom, by the way, are females).
Four years ago, within hours of his first inauguration, Mr. Clinton couldn't wait to sign legislation supporting abortion and making it more widely available, despite his campaign promise to make it "rare." It would be an astonishingly fitting gesture to follow up on his Monday remarks by promising to sign a ban on partial-birth abortion (which he vetoed last year). Such a promise would be an outstanding example of his commitment to work with others, in this case the vast majority of Americans who oppose what has been rightly called "near infanticide."
Making such a vow would also be a far more fitting tribute to the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and his pro-life efforts than the brief mention he got from the President toward the end of his remarks.
It's easy to spout platitudes about working together for a better America where children are allowed to be born and then are educated for excellence. It's not so easy to take the bold steps to make sure that happens. Noble words without noble actions ring empty and bespeak Washington business as usual, something Mr. Clinton claimed he wanted to end.
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