Charting A New Course

As the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to take the oath of office for a second term as President, Bill Clinton in his Inaugural speech Monday described the course he will set during his second term, and it was a safe one. Sounding more like a Pastor in Chief than a Commander in Chief, Clinton reached for a cautiously uplifting theme, describing a land of peace and prosperity and calling upon all Americans to work together to renew the American dream, obliterate racism, and expand educational and medical benefits while balancing the budget. Republicans may take more heart than Democrats from the light touch the President is setting as his new Administration gets underway. The ambitious reformer of 1993 seems content for the moment in a new role as centrist caretaker.