Pundits 'Surprised' By Obama's Second Inaugural; Charles Krauthammer Calls It 'Amazing' (VIDEO)

Fox News Pundit: Obama Gave 'Amazing' Speech
President Barack Obama gestures as he gives his inauguration address during a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)
President Barack Obama gestures as he gives his inauguration address during a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony during the 57th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 on the West Front of the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Win McNamee, Pool)

Cable news pundits mostly fell along predictable lines when assessing President Obama's second inaugural address on Monday.

What everyone seemed to agree on was that Obama had given an unexpectedly forceful speech.

On MSNBC, the praise was overflowing. Chris Hayes called it "surprisingly liberal," and Chris Matthews, in typically unrestrained form, said it was "Lincolnesque." Amidst the love, Ed Schultz said Obama's unmentioned drone policy could cause him trouble.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer said Obama had "surprised him" with his mentions of climate change and gay rights. "He went way beyond what I thought he was going to do," he said, a feeling echoed by his colleagues.

On Fox News, there was less of a charitable feeling. Brit Hume said that the "lame" economic recovery undercut Obama's message.

"I don’t think he reached out to the other side at all,” "Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace added.

Columnist Charles Krauthammer gave Obama something of a backhanded compliment, calling the speech "amazing" and "very important historically," but adding that it was not "memorable" and that it signalled an ominous shift to the left.

Obama, he said, had declared the "end of Reaganism," adding that the speech was a "hymn to big government."

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Barack Obama (2009)

Presidents On Inauguration Day

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