the State of the Union
After telling myself I really didn't want to watch Dubya's last State of the Union Address, I ended up doing it anyway, or at least the last half of it...I guess like the train wreck you have to look at.
First, the guy's not brilliant, and he's not the most eloquent speaker. If he could ever learn to pronounce "nuclear" it'd be one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Once you get past that, though, I thought he did a pretty good job on the parts I watched. I didn't see him say much about the economy, which needs work. I don't know if he just didn't say much or he addressed it in parts of the address I missed. I did hear him say a lot about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the middle east in general, and national security, and...he was spot on.
I will also say this. the whole thing could take half the time if people didn't stand and clap after every damn sentence. That stuff happens regardless of which party is in power, and it could go away entirely and it wouldn't bother me. Maybe a "Hold your applause until the end" statement would help, even if that comes off as an assumption that one would applaud at all. Having said that, it was interesting, and telling...watching which sentences the Democrats stood and clapped for and which they didn't. It showed me why I'm not one of them. It showed me they like all the ideals, but don't have the backbone and commitment to do what it takes to get there. Some things take work and sacrifice, and wanting those things, in and of itself, doesn't get them.
Then there was the Democratic response. I dunno, maybe 10 minutes...of the biggest ramble through vagueness I've heard in a while by some woman from Kansas. The closest thing she said to anything of substance was "Join us Mr. President." She didn't specify if they were going to Disney World, or changing the real world, or having dinner at Spago. She just asked that he join her and her colleagues...in...well... something. What the heck was that? I can tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't a response...of any kind. It was a canned speech that said nothing.
Then there was Hillary and Obama, who both said that speech clearly pointed out all the things they're running against. Well, if that's the case, I don't care how charismatic you may be, or how well spoken you are. If a vote for you is a vote against everything I heard....I'm just not there with you. I do see where we're doing good, and things are improving in Iraq. I do see where the Iraqi people will someday govern themselves in democracy, and we can go away. I do see how that affects stability, not just for Iraq, but in the entire world, because I do see how it affects the capabilities of religious extremists/terrorists. I do see the enormous sacrifice we have made, and are still making, and I see the payoff light at the end of the tunnel, and I believe it has been worth the effort. I'm sorry you don't. I don't know if you're out of touch with America. I just know you're out of touch with me.
First, the guy's not brilliant, and he's not the most eloquent speaker. If he could ever learn to pronounce "nuclear" it'd be one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Once you get past that, though, I thought he did a pretty good job on the parts I watched. I didn't see him say much about the economy, which needs work. I don't know if he just didn't say much or he addressed it in parts of the address I missed. I did hear him say a lot about Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the middle east in general, and national security, and...he was spot on.
I will also say this. the whole thing could take half the time if people didn't stand and clap after every damn sentence. That stuff happens regardless of which party is in power, and it could go away entirely and it wouldn't bother me. Maybe a "Hold your applause until the end" statement would help, even if that comes off as an assumption that one would applaud at all. Having said that, it was interesting, and telling...watching which sentences the Democrats stood and clapped for and which they didn't. It showed me why I'm not one of them. It showed me they like all the ideals, but don't have the backbone and commitment to do what it takes to get there. Some things take work and sacrifice, and wanting those things, in and of itself, doesn't get them.
Then there was the Democratic response. I dunno, maybe 10 minutes...of the biggest ramble through vagueness I've heard in a while by some woman from Kansas. The closest thing she said to anything of substance was "Join us Mr. President." She didn't specify if they were going to Disney World, or changing the real world, or having dinner at Spago. She just asked that he join her and her colleagues...in...well... something. What the heck was that? I can tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't a response...of any kind. It was a canned speech that said nothing.
Then there was Hillary and Obama, who both said that speech clearly pointed out all the things they're running against. Well, if that's the case, I don't care how charismatic you may be, or how well spoken you are. If a vote for you is a vote against everything I heard....I'm just not there with you. I do see where we're doing good, and things are improving in Iraq. I do see where the Iraqi people will someday govern themselves in democracy, and we can go away. I do see how that affects stability, not just for Iraq, but in the entire world, because I do see how it affects the capabilities of religious extremists/terrorists. I do see the enormous sacrifice we have made, and are still making, and I see the payoff light at the end of the tunnel, and I believe it has been worth the effort. I'm sorry you don't. I don't know if you're out of touch with America. I just know you're out of touch with me.
Labels: Politics
John put this out here at 7:53 AM
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