In January 2001, The Onion satirized George W. Bush’s first inauguration speech in Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over’. The sad part is, most of the satire turned out to be true.
For instance,
Bush swore to do “everything in [his] power” to undo the damage wrought by Clinton’s two terms in office, including… going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.
and
Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years. “You better believe we’re going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration,” said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending.
and
Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as “a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman’s right to give birth…. John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state.”
and
Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption. “We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two,” Bush said. “Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there’s much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation’s hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it.”
