As far as presidents go, I can learn to live with George W. Bush. Hell, he hasn’t tried to execute me yet. My only request of President Bush II is that he clarify his positions on a few other things besides national defense and oil production.

I yearn for the day when we can stop this philosophizing about something as intangible as "integrity" and begin to "talk turkey," as they say. Let me clarify these hopes of mine by using examples from the President’s inauguration speech.

An inauguration speech is a president’s testament. The promises therein are stronger than any promise made during that president’s campaign.

An inauguration speech is meant to get at the marrow of what really matters to Americans and to humanity in general.

I was surprised and pleased to hear things that really matter to me in President Bush’s speech, but at the same time his speech creates too many expectations that I cannot rationally expect a person like Bush to fulfill.

"Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation’s promise through civility, courage, compassion and character . . . A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness."

These words from Bush’s speech are full of strong meanings. But at the same time they are quite vague. So, if Bush wants a civil society, what will this entail?

Does "good will" just involve the funneling of money to faith-based aid organizations as Bush has proposed, or might it also involve a more compassionate welfare system that gets jobs and education for the disadvantaged?

Respect involves Bush respecting not only the Democrats after their loss, but also respecting groups that might be hard to respect, such as the government of Iraq.

Finding reconciliation with Iraq, as well as other groups that have tense relations with the US government or with Bush himself would be the greatest act of respect. Another group Bush could try to respect more is the gay community.

I have heard concerns expressed about his opposition to adoption rights, anti-discrimination protections and hate-crimes laws for homosexuals, but it seems that the biggest act of disrespect he could make would be silence. In fact, despite anxiety about Bush’s positions on gay rights, he has been nearly silent on the issue.

A simple public pronouncement of respect towards the gay community would be a big confidence builder. Finally, what is "forgiveness"? Bush did not encourage forgiveness from victims of violence when he allowed the executions of several hundred people as governor of Texas.

Bush also talked a great deal about religion in his address, which caused me to wonder about his understanding of Methodism, his own religion. After all, if Bush is going to narrow the separation of Church and State he should at least look closely at what his own religion stands for.

John Wesley founded the Methodists on a strong base of social justice and good works towards the disadvantaged. Yet I find it hard to see plans to end poverty, fight discrimination, or improve relations with the Third World as high on Bush’s agenda.

Sure, everyone will get a tax cut if Bush gets his way, but a disadvantaged child is not going to succeed more in their blighted community just because their single parent saved a few hundred dollars in taxes.

Percentage-wise and in terms of hard cash, Bush’s tax cut gives much more back to the highest tax bracket than it does to the lowest. The Jesus that Bush seems to draw his inspiration from challenged people to welcome beggars into their house, not toss bread crumbs to them.

Basically, all I am trying to say here is that words do not mean shit. In our modern politics words are just poetry of ambiguity.

If anyone has ever read George Orwell’s 1984 they will recognize this as "Newspeak." We should judge our leaders by their actions and not their choice of words.

President Bush seems more interested in a strong military and tax breaks for the oil companies that helped fund his campaign than in good works and forgiveness; yet his speech promised good works and forgiveness. "A proverb in the mouth of a fool hangs limp, like crippled legs (Proverbs 26:7)."

When Bush talks about values and religion he reminds me more of a Pharisee than a prophet. I challenge everyone to judge their leaders based on what they have done in the past rather than the rhetoric they use today.