In 2004, when President Bush was reelected for a second term as president, things had drastically changed. We were a post-9/11 democracy, and many of our resources were tied up in conflicts overseas. Those things affected the nature of his presidency, and it changed the national focus.

In his address, President Bush focused on the importance of promoting democracy overseas, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, in efforts to neutralize threats to America's national security. He said we needed to be a champion for human rights around the world because our country was founded on the belief that all people are created equal. (Source)

Of course, he was right. We've said that a bunch of times—we wanted a perfect union, and President Bush believed we should bring those policies into other countries. However, he didn't mention a whole lot about the state of equality on the home front, which was still a very real (and very messy) part of life for millions of people.

The overall message of this second inaugural address was focused on freedom and liberty, but primarily in oppressed countries overseas. Some people said that President Bush prioritized our involvement in other nations over our commitment to American values within our borders. Obama, in his address, believed the opposite. We can't offer our help to oppressed populations if we don't make efforts to release our minority groups from similar states.