Is it possible to be disappointed in a speech that you had low expectations for?
I had a much better reaction written which was then lost in a tragic browser mishap (my PowerBook is in the shop, typing this on my work laptop, a PC that I’m not used to). Here’s what I remember.
The speech was very blah overall. It was not bold, not especially ambitious, and very partisan. It even lacked the touching photo ops and visual imagery of speeches past. No Iraqis in the audience hugging the mother of a soldier and the like. Not that I like that sort of cheap emotional tug, but at least it gives the speech some weight.
Did you notice the sheer number of straw men in the speech? Who are these isolationists? Do you know people that truly advocate no trade or forward diplomacy? And these human-animal hybrid scientists? Who are these people and are they common enough that they deserve special mention during the State of the Union speech? They were weird points of emphasis, like when he used to call out those that believed that Arabs were incapable of forming a democracy.
I was surprised at the strong defense of the NSA program in the middle of the speech. I had a set of links that I had prepared for that topic as well, but based on the pre-speech reporting, I chose to focus instead on healthcare. I’ll include those links at the bottom of this post.
Health insurance wasn’t much of an emphasis in the speech but we’ll see if he spends more time on it over the coming weeks and months.
The President continued to make bold, misleading assertions in this speech. His claim that previous Presidents had authorized the type of domestic spying he’s getting heat for is misleading at best. He failed to mention that it was legal under previous presidents. The law was amended during Clinton’s presidency by a Republican Congress. I don’t feel like I need to agree with him on everything… but at least be straight with the American people. That’s all I want.
The Democratic response was more direct and blunt than any I remember. I really appreciated Gov. Kaine crticizing the President where he and the Democratic party disagree. I don’t remember the response last year, but I remember the Daschle/Pelosi responses that were too polite and too respectful. The Democratic party owes it to the American people to call a spade a spade. If the President misleads the American people and the press isn’t going to call him out, we have to rely on the minority party. This was the best balance of respect and honesty that I’ve seen in a while from the Democratic party. In fact, aside from Kaine’s obvious nervousness, the response was excellent.
I’d be happy to hear what you thought. Feel free to respond below.
Oh, by the way, what was up with the whole Cindy Sheehan thing? Prior to the speech, CNN.com was leading with the story that she was going to be attending. Then, right as Bush was walking in, the announcer on the TV said she was arrested by House police. Details are unclear, but it seems like she was arrested for a t-shirt. On the day that Coretta Scott King died, too…
A transcript of the speech can be found at the Washington Post.
NSA Wiretapping links
- Phillip Carter goes over the Bush response to the NSA program.
- Atrios pointed out that the administration opposed the type of FISA changes that would’ve made the domestic spying easier to do. That’s inconsistent…
