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Nixon's emphasis on citizens' involvement in the affairs of their society was also an extension of his previous appeals. He did not suggest a retreat from the high degree of governmental activity that marked the Democratic Administrations since the 1930s. Rather, he pleaded for support from all levels of society in a drive for common participation that will probably be a dominant ambition of the new Administration. "I do not offer a life of uninspiring ease," he said. "I do not call for a life of grim sacrifice. I ask you to join in a high adventure—one as rich as humanity itself, and exciting as the times we live in."
A Common Destiny. As the speech suggests, President Nixon plans no frenetic hundred days, no volcanic outpouring of glowing visions and imperative programs.
One theory of presidential strategy has it that any new White House resident must stamp his signature on the times immediately or risk losing forever the chance to do so. Nixon construes his circumstances and opportunities differently—and with cause. He wants what one adviser calls "studious momentum." He is a minority President who faces an opposition majority on Capitol Hill, a centrist Republican who confronts a political left and right, both flaming with angry frustration.
Thus Nixon took extraordinary pains in framing his inaugural address. After maintaining a low silhouette since the election, he was anxious to set the right note with which to begin the exercise of leadership. The process began several weeks ago with requests for drafts from three of his speech writers and idea men, William Safire, Patrick Buchanan and Raymond Price. Nixon himself had read every previous inaugural address, picking as his favorites Lincoln's second inaugural, both of Wilson's, F.D.R.'s first three, the Kennedy speech and—surprisingly—the baroque oratory of Democrat James K. Polk. A favorite Nixon motto is "Forward Together," and Polk in 1845 chose compromise and unity as his basic themes. He deplored "sectional jealousies and heartburnings," entreating the competing factions of his day to "remember that they are members of the same political family, having a common destiny."
While preparation of the speech absorbed so much of Nixon's time and attention during the final weeks of the transition period, the process of transferring power continued at a somewhat slower pace than many had expected. The recruitment of officials below the Cabinet, sub-Cabinet and White House staff levels was apparently being done with great deliberation. Of the 300 top posts that Nixon might have filled before taking office, he had by last week named only about 100 appointees. Incoming Cabinet officers, notably William Rogers at State, have been asking assistant secretaries of departments to stay on for the immediate future. During the campaign, Nixon had talked of a "complete housecleaning" at the State Department, but, more recently, he said that he had "the greatest respect for the career State Department people." One associate described Nixon's mood: "He doesn't want to rip out and tear up. He wants it slow, orderly, methodical, measured."