Dear Editor:
Let's hope for a short speech! Those who track such minutia tell us that the three Presidents of these United States who delivered the shortest inaugural addresses were George Washington (135 words), Franklin Roosevelt (559 words), and Abraham Lincoln (700 words). The longest: William Henry Harrison (8,460 words), William Howard Taft (5,434 words), and James K. Polk (4,809 words).
It is striking, isn't it, that the achievements of the three whose addresses were the shortest stand in our memories and estimation as giants compared to those whose addresses were the longest? Let's hope for brevity on Jan. 20!
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