But the vague pledges have done little to calm the waters.
George Bush did so this year with an almost equally vague pledge to be "the education President."
In some forgotten corner of the text he had found some vague pledge that no one else had noticed.
And they went home for the midseason break with bad memories and vague pledges.
Congressional leaders welcomed the mayor's visit and made vague pledges to continue helping the city through difficult times.
Such warm but vague pledges make some observers wonder how sincere the companies are about about their promises.
In the Finnish capital only vague pledges were made regarding consultation and cooperation.
Africa asked Europe for more market access and debt repayment, and got vague pledges in return.
Europe asked Africa to respect human rights more, fight corruption and cease violent conflicts, and got vague pledges in return too.
In return, the United Nations gave a vague pledge to respect Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity.