As part of the 2009 pre-inaugural festivities, Tiger Woods gave a speech in thanks of the military.
On 18 January 2009, golfer Tiger Woods gave the speech quoted above at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. during the HBO-televised 'We Are One' event held as part of the lead-up to Barack Obama's presidential inauguration two days later. The PGA Tour web site displays the full text of Tiger Woods' speech, as does Woods' own web site (look for the 18 January item in the News Archive).As noted in the comments added by whoever framed the speech into the e-mail forward cited above, 'Not one time did Tiger mention Obama or the inauguration or the new administration'; instead, the speech given by the golf legend focused on the commitment and dedication of those who serve in the U.S. armed forces and at its conclusion called for unwavering support for the men and women in uniform. However, no evidence supports the claim that a reluctant Woods was 'greatly pressured' to take part in the 'We Are One' celebration or that the nature of the speech he delivered came as a surprise to the event's organizers. Woods comes from a military family (his father was an Army officer), and he was chosen to speak just before, and introduce, a performance by the U.S. Naval Glee Club, so the nature of his remarks was perfectly appropriate to the spot on the program for which he was selected.Moreover, although Woods has drawn criticism in the press over the years for being publicly apolitical (in 1997 he turned down an invitation from former President Bill Clinton to attend an event held at New York's Shea Stadium celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's color barrier), after the 2008 U.S. presidential election he waxed enthusiastic about Barack Obama's victory:Tiger Woods isn't one to reveal his opinions on many non-golf topics. But the No. 1-ranked player in the world did weigh in on Barack Obama's election as the first African American president in United States history. 'I think it's absolutely incredible,' Woods told CNBC. 'He represents America. He's multiracial. I was hoping it would happen in my lifetime. My father was hoping it would happen in his lifetime, but he didn't get to see it. I'm lucky enough to have seen a person of color in the White House.' When asked by the cable news outlet how his father Earl would have reacted to Obama's election as the 44th President of the United States, Woods didn't hesitate. 'He would have cried. Absolutely. No doubt about it.'For those who were wondering, 'veritas odium parit' is Latin for 'truth begets hatred,' and 'lex facit regem' translates as 'the law makes the king.'
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