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| Think at your own risk. |
| Tuesday, January 31, 2006 |
| The blogging of the president - SOTU edition |
Well, this is no longer the guy who eschewed nation building ... Oh, and you're gonna have to face it, we're addicted to oil. ...
Overall, I think it was a good speech (see, Jay? I am capable of responding to Bush with something other than frothing Moonbattery...) Very elegant at the end, and it hit the major points that Bush needed to: freedom (15 mentions), victory (5mentions), staying the course in iraq (14), terror (15), globalism (4 mentions of "isolationism"), and a sort of compassionate global hegemony articulated by Mr. Bush in a series of flourishes about the need to spread democracy (9 mentions), liberty (2 mentions) and a sort of Christianity-based, tax and disease-free life (7 nods for AIDS and 10 mentions of the U.S. and global economy.) It's all just lovely, if only you could shut off the actual world and the crap that's overrunning it under Bush's leadership... He also bowled for the history books, putting his decisions on foreign policy in the same light as the historic chess moves of FDR, JFK and Reagan (history got 7 mentions). Now all he needs is for Iraq's new fundamentalist Shiite leaders not to do anything too crazy, at least for the next two years. ...
I think I'll associate myself with the comment of Newsweek's John Meacham on the speech: Bush has cast himself as a Republican Woodrow Wilson, pushing this idealistic, highly ideological vision of an American war to end all wars, and an unbroken global American social science project that will make the whole world peaceful, free (well, not free of us...) and abstinant! He's now officially a neocon -- but without the intellectual stuff...
Bush "named the enemy" as some pundits (Lou Dobbs) have urged him to do, mentioning "radical Islam" twice and calling out the mullahs in Iran. He also spoke directly to the Iranian people, saying he hoped the U.S. and Iran would one day be "the best of friends" but also warning that the U.S. cannot allow the current regime to obtain "nucular" weapons (I wonder if Bush makes his staff say "nucular" too...) I think he's treading on thin ice with the "let freedom and elections ring" stuff directed at Egypt, where the Hamas/al-Qaida-linked Muslim Brotherhood would win any "free and fair" elections, Syria (where Hezbollah would take over from the Baathists) and Lebanon (ditto). But hey, neocons don't deal with that sort of reality-based drivel.
Bush defended the NSA spy program and got big applause from the Republicans with his in-your-face assertion that he has not just Constitutional authority (I suppose in the Constitution inside her own mind...) but also statutory authority to eavesdrop. The Democrats could make him eat those words if they take over the House or Senate in the Fall... He even dug up Osama bin Laden (2 menitons) who has been tremendously helpful to the administration in pushing its eavesdropping scheme, and he kept the "September the eleventh" references to a merciful two. I didn't think he'd have the cojones to mention the Palestinian elections, given the way they went for him, but he did, and you've got to love the "Jew cam" that seeks out Joe Lieberman like a laser-guided missile every time anyone mentions the word "Israel..." (there's also a Black guy cam that finds John Lewis at any mention of civil rights or Dr. King, the Obama "African-American-cam," the Hilary cam (various uses) and the Laura cam that catches the first lady's lovely Xanax and martini smile -- and her fabulous suit. (Off white was a good choice, Mrs. President! Loved it.)
The Dems got in a good dig when they all stood up for Bush's statement that the Congress failed to pass his Social Security reforms. (Bush's supposed signature reform, on which he was to spend his "political capital" last year, got only two mentions...) Bush also apparently does like black people! He touched on New Orleans for about 2.2 seconds, and mentioned African-Americans a couple of times, including an opening remark about Coretta King and one nod in relation to the higher incidence of HIV and AIDS. I'm sure kanye West is writing an updated, pro-Bush version of "Jesus walks" just for Dubya even as we speak. John McCain basically clapped alone for the lobbying reform stuff. And darnit, no Tom DeLay cam there ...
Oh, and Bush has decided that he's for scientific research and wind farms. Go figure. I guess John Kerry can feel comforted that at least a small part of him got elected. And the theme of the second have of the speech can be summed up in one word: "competitiveness." Bush is apparently all for it. Okey-dokey.
Overall, I think it was a well written speech, well delivered for Bush, but not much news (there never is with these things). Bush talked a lot about changing the tone (Karl Rove exempted of course), and made a coherent case for Americans being able to debate without hating one another. (Yeah right, tell that to the Freepers and the "Democrats are Communists who should be shot" crowd...) And he gave the obligatory big SOTU laundry list of cleverly named programs for this and that lovely thing that the federal government shouldn't be poking its nose into, including something on compassion or some jazz that Laura's going to be in charge of but that will be well forgotten in about a week (remember Bush's vow to get us to Mars? I didn't think you did...) I was expecting to see that dog who served in Iraq, or at least for Cindy Sheehan to light herself on fire and swan dive from the balcony to try and take out Dick Cheney in a ball of flames and high-pitched, nasal fury, but hey, you can't have everything... She did apparently manage to get herself arrested for wearing the wrong shirt, which should really help kick-start her Senate bid. (I wonder if that lady who yelled at Ed Schultz today for not being liberal enough lives in California...better get her registered to vote...)
In general, these speeches are pretty useless, except as a way for presidents to impress their detractors at how well they can deliver the laugh lines despite dire political circumstances (Bush's best line tonight was the one about himself and Bill Clinton being two of his father's favorite soon-to-be sextagenarians... although he didn't say sextagenarians... this, after all, is George W. Bush... Seriously, what's interesting about Bush is his unfailing ability to come off as a completely harmless, goofy sort of get-along guy, who wouldn't dream of starting an unnecessary war, tearing up the Constitution, granting himself unlimited war powers, sanctioning torture, opening the southern borders to Mexican wage slaves and tapping Christiane Amanpour's phone. ... oh dear... maybe I'd better start over...
... oh yeah and Tom Kaine said something boring afterward that no one really listened to. ... except Howard Dean. He liked it a lot.
Speech grade: B (points taken off for failure to cause Sheehan to ignite)
Predictions: Bush will get a four point bump in the polls, Chris Matthews will declare the speech a masterpiece and in a surprise move, will kiss Rudy Giuliani full on the lips (sorry, off topic...) Cindy Sheehan won't have enough money for bail and will be sprung by an anonymous donor hamed Chugo Havez, and Norah O'Donnell will put a copy of the speech transcript under her pillow.
Update: More reax from the blogosphere:
Update 2:Matthews is so far resisting the Giuliani oral magnetism. In fact, he's actually disagreeing with him! ... oh, no wait he's kissing his behind again... (By the way am I the only one for whom the thought of Rudy Giuliani with limitless presidential police state powers triggers a reaction involving cold sweats and throwing up?) ... Anyway, Andrea Mitchell and Chip Reid sure are downers tonight -- both waxed pessimistic on the speech, and Reid made a good point that it's a little odd for Bush to be calling for a bipartisan love and respect-fest after his side turned sliming the other side into an art-form...
Want more? Get audio commentary from the Juicecaster podcast...
Tags: Bush, State of the Union, Speech, Politics, |
posted by JReid @ 10:06 PM   |
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