Just before I read your red dress comment I thought our Missouri senator, Clair McCaskill must not have gotten the red message because she showed up in black and gray.

bleh. NBC has a reporter on the floor. So what. They've had leakers on the floors for years, what's one more?

Which network are you watching, Stephen? Fox News is, oddly enough, pretty down on the President.

So, what's the over/under on his approval rating after this?

Holy crap, Nancy just had a SpeakerGasm!

glad they started late, so I could get back from Aikido.

Gee, Bush is doing a suck up to Pelosi, reminds me of Clinton's bleat "The president is still relevant" after he lost both houses.

It takes seeing her smile live on TV for me to remember how much I despise her.

I can't believe the first thing Nancy Pelosis said was "Greetings fellow Americans...Oogah Boogah".

I'm glad he opened with economy and no new taxes! He better mean to veto the taxes.

NOW you want to balance the budget? Yeesh.

I guess I'll never understand why the Democrats love taxes. Ever.

No, there is nothing in the Constitution for the federal government to muck around in primary education. Grumble.

I don't remember the part about health care in there either.

Is it possible to clone Ronald Reagan or Barry Goldwater? Please?

OK, temporary worker permits is fine.

He's not doing as badly as I thought he might. I'm actually thinking the Right is going to attack him more viciously than the left.

Is he running through the bullet points awfully quick? This is a lot of yada yada yada.

Wow, is this a Republican SOTU? I mean, it could be worse, there's some good points mixed in, but "the serious challenge of global warming."

HOLY F#*@W HE'S LISTING THE BLOCKED TERRORIST PLOTS!

Cheney is smiling about the renewable foul targets. No doubt he has doubled down on batteries and alternatives.
Wrapped that Global Climate Change tag line in there as well. Nice.
By the way, thank you for providing this forum Stephen - glad to hear you are on the mend.

Foul fuel indeed - I think the jump got I on you - hic?

Please, oh please mention Al Queda in Iraq! Pretty please!

Bush is actually sounding like a tough on terror -- Democrat. Ya know, if I wanted that, I'd have worked for Lieberman. At least with Joe, it would really put the Moslems in a tizzy, with a Jew as president of the US.

How about mentioning Iran in Iraq? Bridge to far....

I know its simplistic and lacks nuance but I'm mostly concerned with the tough on terror aspect. I'll give them 2 years of a Democratic president as long as he's a tough one.

The left wing media has done a wonderful job of destroying the President of the U.S. Just wait until we get Hillary or Obama. Pathetic day for the U.S.

Congressional Black Caucus isn't happy with the Iraq talk. Nice shot there, Fox.

Hmmm... I'm a half-drunk Canadian (is there any other kind?) so maybe I don't get the 'nuance' of the Dems, but why wouldn't more than a handful of them cheer the desired outcome of "victory"?

Pete, it's because there might be the chance that victory would reflect well upon Bush. Yes, our politics are that petty.

Iran's influence and V word. I'm out. So hammered I'm hearing what I want to hear.....
This is going to hurt twice tomorrow.
Once for what I poured down my throat and once for what was poured into my ears compared to what the light of day will really show by the time the sun sets.

Well, if it's C.H.A.O.S. that's the enemy, get me Maxwell Smart (yesssh, I've had an adult beverage or two)

"You did not vote for failure"

I wish he'd turned around to look at Pelosi when he said that.

STOP BLINKING, NANCY!!!!!

why wouldn't more than a handful of them cheer the desired outcome of "victory"?

Can someone please get that woman one of those toothpick/dental floss things ?! Between cleaning her teeth with her tongue and trying to keep her face turned to whichever camera she thinks may be on her, she's making it very hard to concentrate on the speech.

I think Pelosi just blinked "Don't worry, I'm only clapping for show" in morse code.

Middleage, just listen to the speech for the most part. Pelosi shouldn't be shown on tv before 11 pm. Far too scary.

Oooh, more tough talk re: Iran. Just remember, it's the mullahocray that's the enemy, not the average Iranian who wants American pop culture.

Hilarious, Flyer. If only he would put her on the spot like that.

why doesnt the president have an Iraqi soldier both male and female, in the presidential box?

as he is talking about helping iraqis rebuild their own country, the president could point up to the them and connect them to the speech. a common and almost universally effective rhetorical device (michael moore next to jimmy carter notably excepted).

if he's really feeling bold and wanted to jump ahead a few moves, he could bring in a teenaged iranian dissident, and talk about her life and how we in the free world can help her and her people.

michael j fox next to the first lady doesnt quite measure up.

calling for civilian reservist guards' employment abroad is welcome and overdue.

2-state solution in the Levant.

props for NATO for work in Afghanistan.

China a "partner?" uh...

Coo-Ba!!

Darfur.

Great to have you back and sloshed Stephen!

Question - is it traditional that the SCOTUS justices in attendance not applaud/stand up? Just noticed that.

He's making too much sense to be THAT drunk. This part of the speech is making me want a drink pretty badly.

Dikembe Mutombo??

ok...off the wall, but it works for me.

of course we're glad he's a US citizen. he must pay millions in state and federal taxes.

I watched the replay of the BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! saints game on NFL channel 154 - tomorrow Colts/Pats.

--

I cannot watch the realtor as VP called her.

The SCOTUS are supposed to be non-partisan so they generally do not applaud after the initial introductions.

Dikembe! Wag your finger, just once. "Not in my house!"

Pelosi's face is hard to look at...

Thanks rbj, I've had to do that. But I do have to admit, it would be just the greatest thing ever if her top plate simply fell out. OK, back to being an adult.

Thanks Christopher. I figured, just never thought about it.

I could have sworn that military members didn't applaud in past SOTU's, but they're clapping lots tonight.

Flyer -- yes, re: SCOTUS. They want to be seen as not taking sides.

"Who wants to sex Mutombo?"

ok, so michael j fox isnt next to mrs bush after all, so my mistake.

but...theyre missing some opportunities.

the wesley autry & sgt reiman
props are awesome, though.

I'm not sure that soldiers have ever been neutral in the SOTU. The internet doesn't seem to know. I seem to remember them being rather active after 9/11.

OK, not too painful. The laundry list of social spending won't go anywhere -- I hope.

Kerry could'nt get out of there fast enough.

Good night all. The response is always optional -- and usually frowned upon.

Didn't see as much of Hillary as usual. Mind you, that's not a bad thing but, it was noticed. She didn't seem to like being in the same shot as Obama.

Yeah. I'm not watching the response. I'm not nearly drunk enough.

"Tonight I ask Congress to authorize an increase in our Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years." 'Bout damn time!

How, if we are truly in a Long War, is 92K troops going to be more than a drop in the bucket? Don't we realistically need to just about double our active military size, given future prospects? This just seems like so much hand waving to me.

It's over. Started late and seemed quick. Except for the meat of selling his "surge" it was pretty ordinary. The domestic stuff was awful, save his case for ending (or halving) earmarks. Immigration talk didn't seem to make anyone too excited, and we've heard the plea to save soc sec for far too long. Nothing about how to do it (did I miss any mention of private accounts).

I guess the war is the only issue that he needed to address, since everything else is a dead issue till '08. He did that, though how well is uncertain. The "you did not vote for failure" line is what he wanted to hit home and it's really the only place where the bi-partisanship stuff matters anyway.

Grade: C+, only for that line and the earmarks thing.

Captain said the response was on before the speech?????

NukemHill - good question. Though I think we're just supposed to nod along at a specific number (why not just round up to 100k?). Golly, must be pretty sure of that one.

MEGO...

NukemHill - we're still not up to where we were before Clinton gutted the military. I remember that well, we were active duty then.

8:04 "Tonight that cause goes on. God bless." Bush ended on a defiant note, happily sounded. Rang nicely in my ears. I'll have final thoughts in just a few minutes.

I agree, Stephen. Better than droning on.

And Jim Webb is awful. Trouble even reading with any pace, seems nervous.

Think he's nervous because the President didn't give him much to work with?

All thoughts of the SOTU aside...it was fun to share it with VodkaPundit. Glad to see the photographic evidence that you are doing better. On my end, a bottle of Austalian white was the choice. Keep well.

Did Rangel fall asleep again? He always naps during SOTU. Just his way of showing respect for the office...

Well, Jim was his normal self, I see, in the rebuttal... I think he kept it surprisingly civil, if only barely.

Well, that might be part of it. He certainly gave plenty of ground to the left, domestically. But mostly I think Webb was mustering all the gumption he could to deliver a harshly worded speech, for the first time on national tv. Maybe he wrote it thinking it would match Bush's tone, and the rug was kind of pulled out from under him.

I'm watching CNN and Obama is being just as harsh, but he seems comfortable delivering the words. Course, a live interview is a different dynamic.

Oh, and welcome back Steve. No diss on Will, but you were missed.

The Chick Voice - well said.

It's great to have you back, Stephen. This made the SOTU bearable.

Yes, great to see you back at it, Stephen. Your voice has been missed.

And Flyer,

I think you are spot on about Webb. The rug seemed to be pulled on his great moment of OUTRAGE!

Your blogging is as important to the future of America as Pelosi’s leadership of the House. IMO, at least.

Seriously.

Thank God you’re still at it.

NukemHill - we're still not up to where we were before Clinton gutted the military. I remember that well, we were active duty then.

Which, I guess, is part of my point. How can we be making long-term plans to fight this war, with one hand tied behind our back? We are not staffed up to where we belong, and haven't been for years. Why doesn't matter. The fact that we haven't done anything substantive about it for the last 5 years, and are only now asking for a measly 100K troops over the next 5 years borders on the criminally insane.

Are we being led, lemming-wise, over the cliffs of doom? Do our leaders truly not get it? Or are they reading the writing on the wall, and dealing with the reality of our political situation the best they can?

I'm so incredibly cynical right now. I've got three sons whom I expect to be growing up into a dark and dangerous world. That is so not what I want for them.

Crap.

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