Exactly ! To me a State of the Union speech is about giving hope and inspiration to us. It is to remind us that we should be proud of America, all it does in the world and be reminded why, as we often forget. It should make us feel hopeful about our prosperity at home and remind us of those than had given their all for our freedoms and liberty. In that sense, I feel President Bush accomplished all of that and more.
There are many reviews out on the blogs but I am sensing many have forgotten that the State of the Union is just a speech about hope and reflection of the past accomplishments by the elected bodies. It should lay out items to be done and why. The speech did all of that. Many may have wanted more or this or that. I felt President Bush stated what he has done and why to include what he would like to still do. I read Powerline’s statement and was surprise to see they had written exactly what I was thinking when I sat down to write this post. I felt watching the speech last night that it was disappointing and sad that the President was talking about protecting us from Terrorists and the Democrats sat in protest rather than support for America. President Bush came to the speech as the President of the United States and the Democrats came as Bush haters and anti-war protesters. Their lack of support was appalling to me and there cheering the failure of Social Security reform was a indicator that they do not really care about the people as they pretend and profess they do. Why would you cheer a failing program that so many of us grew up to depend on and they have stolen from over the years.
Powerline said it better:
Brit Hume reported that the president was interrupted by applause 61 times last night. I prefer to judge a State of the Union by the non-applause, which can only be appreciated on TV. Think of Rep. John Lewis’s refusal to stand up when the president talked about “our love of freedom.” Or Harry Reid’s tactless decision to remain seated during the acknowledgement of Roberts and Alito. Or Charles Rangel’s hand-sitting act when Bush declared that the U.S. will never surrender to evil. Who couldn’t enjoy watching the entire Democratic side of the room lock their keisters in place when the words “Patriot Act” or “tax cuts” were mentioned. Or the sphinx-like stare of some unnamed diplomat in Arab headdress when Bush talked about the “unstable” nations of the Middle East. Then there was the tempest-tossed visage and contorted smile of Kathleen Blanco, Louisiana’s dysfunctional governor, when Bush riffed on Katrina. Hillary Clinton retained her trademark humorlessness when her husband’s name was the punch line of the speech’s one genuine joke. And, of course, there were all those idiotic grimaces on Democratic faces when they applauded the failure to reform Social Security. For all these reasons, the SOU has to be considered a success. Even at his most conciliatory, Bush continues to annoy all the right people.
It may be the most important message last night was what the Democrats showed the voters, especially the independents that still love this country. By their actions it is hard to say they care about anything but more taxes, entitlements and power. Oh and hating Bush!
National Review Online has a collection of critical reviews here.
