James Doti: 25 years since 'Tear down this wall'

A piece of the Berlin Wall is on display at Liberty Plaza on the Chapman University campus. PHOTO COURTESY CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

Twenty-five years ago, President Ronald Reagan delivered words that would reverberate around the world: "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

President Reagan issued this challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev even though he knew it would rankle the staffers at the Department of State. "The boys at State are going to kill me for this," said the president, "but it's the right thing to do."

These courageous words spoken June 12, 1987, marked the beginning of the end of the Berlin Wall. But they were important for another reason: they reveal to us the power of words and the impact words can have on the body politic.

I was reminded of that this week, when President Barack Obama was forced to recant the statement he made at a recent press conference: "The private sector is doing fine." Anyone, of course, can make a gaffe, especially at a news conference. But he's given a lot of speeches. Yet, can anyone recall anything significant, uplifting, inspiring about them? For that matter, in all of Mitt Romney's speeches and debate appearances during his presidential campaign, does anyone remember anything remarkable?

Perhaps this dull wasteland in politics is by design. While platitudes don't arouse passion, at least they're politically safe.

But courageous leaders don't always play it safe. They realize that words are important. They know that change can only occur when people are inspired to share a transformative vision.

At the beginning of World War II, Winston Churchill could have rallied his nation to win the war. Instead, he spoke not only of sacrifice but more importantly of joining together in a common struggle: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and the streets, we shall fight in the hills: we shall never surrender."

Or as Churchill reminded his nation about shared sacrifice in another speech: "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say 'This was their finest hour.'"

The widening gulf in our nation between red and blue states demands a leader who doesn't always play it safe but rather has the courage to articulate and inspire people to strive for a shared vision of the future.

In explaining the significance of President Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" address, his speechwriter Peter Robinson recently quoted a Russian dissident's recollection: "Reagan challenged the empire. To us, that meant everything. After that speech, everything was in play."

A piece of the Berlin Wall is on display on the Chapman University campus, in a tranquil garden-like setting that we call Liberty Plaza. This piece of the wall is a reminder to our campus community of an infamous array of concrete that was intended to deny liberty to millions of people. But it's also a reminder of the transformative power of words.

In front of the wall is a pedestal with a plaque that includes President Reagan's historic "Tear Down This Wall" challenge. It also includes a lesser-known quote from that transformative address given 25 years ago:



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