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State of the Nation Address


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About the only part I caught was bush looking right into the camera and declaring that "we are winning it", referring to the war on terrorism. political discussion behind, I had to laugh because at that instant I pictured him practicing that line over and over in the mirror. grin.gif

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I saw Gov. Locke's rebuttal. In my option, he was great. When he spoke about his immigrant Chinese grandfather, I had to compare his grandfather to the thousands of immigrant Pakistanis currently fleeing this country because they are afraid they will be declared 'enemy combatant' and put in jail indefinitely without seeing a lawyer.

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Thoughts? I think, sadly so, that the american public's war support will reach 65% to 70% in favor in tomorrow's opinion polls, meaning: it was an effective speech. Unsubstantiated hyperbole can go a long way in manipulating public opinion.

Along with my pessimism, I also hold out hope that in the next couple of weeks, the public (myself included) will sift through all evidence (which has been so slow in coming), and realize that a war simply cannot be validated, unless startling and substantiated proof of something heretofore unseen presents itself.

 

 

As much as I have disliked Governor Locke's countenance in the past, I think this time he presented a touching portrayal of what has made this country so great, in reality and not only in myth. Bush calls forth myth and simple lies; at least Locke has personal anecdotes that I could actually believe.

 

If a draft-dodging rich daddy's boy such as Bush makes one more comment about the noble efforts that times like this call for from our soldiers, I think I'll puke. How dare he get up there and decide where our troops get "used", when he dodged, and not a single one of the rich war-mongering politician's off-spring will be serving. Pigs. (Done with vitriolic discordant rant.)

 

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"How dare he get up there and decide where our troops get "used", when he dodged,"

 

Now that's interesting, I was under the impression he flew jets.

 

So tell us, how did you feel about a real dodger, in the form of one Bill Clinton, telling us about his concern for the troops as he sent some to die in Somalia, for example?

 

Then we have the underlying problem with your stance that's the best one, that somehow one can't really tell someone else to do something they haven't done themselves. Is that your position, or am I misreading it? In order to support using troops, must I personally suit up and head for Iraq to validate my position?

 

"and not a single one of the rich war-mongering politician's off-spring will be serving."

 

You're telling me you somehow "know" that "not a single one" of any rich war monger has a child in any of the services? That's a pretty big claim.

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His eyebrows looked like raccoon tails, only bigger, he made claims about cutting taxes and increasing the size of the gummint that would be destroyed by an Econ 101 student, he didn't cite a single statistic, factual or otherwise, and he scared young people by describing torture.

 

All in all, another great night for the Republicans.

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Allison, your politics don't allow you to objectively evaluate a speech. You may have been the only person in America who noticed his eyebrows. And don't you think the point of the lines about torture were intended to scare people?

 

Look, I voted for the man, but I think that along with doing some things right, he has committed a major blunder that compromises our ability to come out of the current Middle East mess the way we want. That is the seemingly-blind support of Israel as it continues its settlements. He has also allowed Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld to have too much power in decisionmaking. (Did anyone notice Rumsfeld licking his lips and looking like a lizard during the speech?)

 

That being said, I thought his speech was effective and well-delivered. The characterization of Iraq's behavior since 1991 was excellently done. The overall tone was positive, and his references to the US's responsibility as the primary superpower to act instead of wait for others probably resonated with most people. He even got in an early potshot at John Edwards, when referring to the financial burden that trial lawyers are adding to the healthcare system.

 

I give him an A for last night. (I must say that I cringed when hearing 'nucular' though.)

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Secondary notes:

 

My wife the staunch Democrat was jabbing me with her elbow every time she detected hypocracy (my arm is bruised). Must say that both our eyes were rolling at the reference to "treasured forests."

 

How about the AIDS relief to Africa? Was that as big a surprise to the rest of you as it was to me? Years from now it may be one of his most important legacies.

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"Tonight I didn't hear phrases, I heard the President's thoughts...and it was good stuff".

 

I know its nothing new, but yesterday I was struck by how bizarre it is that a leader's speeches are written by others. Its like having an actor recite his lines. Yah, I know its both parties, and for years and years now, but I just had this wish for someone who would speak their own mind. I think what we heard were someone else's thoughts that the president agrees with.

 

Mtn Goat: we're not talking about Clinton, and many know Bush's record: Texas Air Guard with a domestic assignment that he went AWOL from for over a year with no repercussions. Most politicians who were elegible during Vietnam dodged in one form or another, which is why the media makes a point of letting you know when someone actually fought.

 

Robbob: Yes, I liked the bit about aids relief to Africa, and I liked that he sounded (I had radio, not tv) sincere, but he didn't really provide details. Saying "prevent 7 million infections next year" doesn't tell us his strategy to do so. I hope its something more substantial than tax credits for a bunch of missionaries to go tell them to trust god and abstain from sex.

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