From one of the best blogs on the net:

Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly made this observation today:

POLITICAL BUFFOONERY.... George Bush's inaugural speech was fine as far as it went. We're all in favor of freedom and democracy, after all.

But I've now read — what? At least half a dozen stories trotting out Bush confidants and senior aides, both named and unnamed, to assure us that Bush was just talking smack. He didn't really mean anything he said, and friendly dictators around the world don't have a thing to worry about. Poppa Bush is the latest.

Even accepting that rhetorical BS is a politician's stock in trade, this is inexplicable. What's the point in giving a speech like this if you're going to spend the next week telling everyone to ignore it? This is political buffoonery of a high degree.

Even I’ve noticed this… And I don’t read as much as my friend Kevin. The message seems to be “he doesn’t really mean it.” Or perhaps, don’t read my lips? I’d like to think that he’s so stupid that he delivers whatever his handlers put up on the teleprompter. I don’t think so. I think he’s actually deluded.