State of the Union?

The President has made his State of the Union address to the nation.

Stateoftheunion

Discuss.

  • Jeremiah Baumann (unverified)
    (Show?)

    During tonight's State of the Union speech, President Bush will address America's dependence on fossil fuels, particularly imported oil. It is good news for America, and for Oregon, that the President is finally recognizing what many have known for a long time: that we are dangerously reliant on oil in ways that our economy, our environment, and our security can no longer tolerate. But this 11th-hour conversion will need to include dramatic change to current policy in order to make up for a five-year record of deepening our dependence on fossil fuels.

    Last summer the administration handed the oil and gas industry $4 billion in taxpayer money during a year of record profits, while standing in the way of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, both solutions that would cut our dependence on fossil fuels quickly and cheaply. Any serious solution the President proposes will follow the example set by Oregon and other states around the country and promote a smart energy future that focuses on clean and efficient energy solutions instead of casting our lot with risky and expensive nuclear power.

    Click here to see what a real energy plan would look like.

  • Winston Wolfe (unverified)
    (Show?)

    So Bush,

    What happened to your initiatives you proposed in your last speeches like:

    Curing AIDS in Africa? More Money for Education? Fuel Efficient Cars? Getting Steroids out of Baseball?

    Oh yeah...you had stuff to do.

    Understandable.

  • (Show?)

    He should just call it what it is: the State of the Division.

    But when has he ever said anything the way "it is"?

    Btw, Winston, you forgot sex-trafficking. But oh yeah, so did Bush, so no worries.

  • Sid Leader (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I got $50 that says W flogs 9/11 within four minutes. Tops.

    The official 9/11 over/under line is 90 seconds, according to The Huffington Post.

    Is poor, sodden W that craven to flog dead bodies plummeting through the clear blue skies for political purposes?

    Does the Pope sh!t in the woods?

  • Rep Chip Shields (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Another one of his fleeting SOTU initiatives was vowing to reduce recidivism (offenders returning to crime).

    Remember how that's going? As the Oregonian reported, federal funding here has ended for the Going Home program.

    http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1128510387298040.xml&coll=7

    Worst President Ever.

  • (Show?)

    Sid is giving it way too much time. Nine-11 will be mentioned within the first two minutes. Someone get out their timer!

  • (Show?)

    Another one of his fleeting SOTU initiatives was vowing to reduce recidivism (offenders returning to crime).

    Ask Buckley what Bush has done to funcing for community colleges in the 2 years since he promised to make it a national priority in '03.

  • sasha (unverified)
    (Show?)

    What is the deal with that dude's eyebrow??? I'm watching the Democrat response, the guy from Virginia.

    One eyebrow is perpetually raised. Bad plastic surgery?

  • Robin (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Tim Kayne: major Joker Eybrows, Batman!

  • (Show?)

    The opposition response is always a tough gig, but the bloggers were right: Kaine's not the hottest speaker in the land.

    But on the main event: out of all that should have been said and wasn't, the lack of attention and commitment to specific rebuilding inititiatives in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast was the worst. Nothing about the bi-partisan Backer bill, nothing about specifically committing to Level 5 hurricanes, basically nothing.

    Truly disappointing.

  • red carpet critic (unverified)
    (Show?)

    That eyebrow is wild. He also needs porcelains (or to stop smoking) and his tie is too fat and the knot too small

  • Alice (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Pretty average speech from Bush: almost like he knew it was mediocre, but he was holding something back. Maybe he's just tired. They should have replaced the word "rostrum" with "podium" instead. The hesitation before the word was palpable.

    The homage to Sargeant Clay was tastefully done: I hope his family found some comfort in the act of recognition.

    Cindy Sheehan was removed from the gallery: I hope somebody has that on video.

    Tim Kayne's response was even more feeble: would you buy a used car from this dude? I wouldn't trust him with a $10 lunch money loan.

    Its....almost...as..if....the.....tele...prompter...was...starting..and.....stopping...for.no......reason.

    It looks like he had a face lift: he and Pelosi may have the same doctor. All told, Kayne was less creepy than the man with no eyebrows (Gephardt).

    They're reaching if they want to sell the Democrats as the gatekeepters of fiscal conservatism or "supporters" of the war on terror. More like (in my best Chevy Chase voice): roll 'em up kids.

    Y'all need to find somebody...who...believes what...he's....saying.
    It's almost as if he was channeling a voice from the grave.

  • Marvinlee (unverified)
    (Show?)

    The president's comments on energy reflected a growing awareness of the importance of our imported energy costs. The actions proposed are inadequate, just as they have been from both political parties. We have no realistic hope of achieving energy independence so long as any can be imported. But we should be doing far more to reduce our consumption. That action will require political courage of a depth that may exist only in our imagination.

  • (Show?)

    what happened? what happened? i forgot all about it, but that's ok cuz i cannot listen to bush for more than 45 seconds before my head begins to implode. seriously. it's one of the 2 things i share with my ex-wife, along with a fantastic gene pool.

    i had to finish watching season 1 of the Gilmore Girls, which i have from the library. man that's good tv! how'd i miss it all these years? what great writing, and lauren graham has got to be the world's champion jeans wearer. yow. season 1 finale of Gilmore Girls with homemade italian sausage pizza -- or dubya lying and nauseating? did i make the right call?

    and did it take 2 minutes or 4?

    seriously, how did i miss GG for 5 years??? why didn't anyone tell me sooner? (and did i mention lauren graham in jeans?)

  • Jon (unverified)
    (Show?)

    The Top 10 State of the Union highlights:

    1. Demonize the Democrats
    2. Bait the Base
    3. Cognitive Dissonance and the Bush Doctrine
    4. Delicious Irony, Tehran Edition
    5. Bitch Slapped on Social Security
    6. What Health Care Plan?
    7. Energy Crisis?
    8. Pandering to African-Americans
    9. Gang Banger Laura Bush?
    10. Katrina and the Waves
  • (Show?)

    You actually watched it? I get more intelligent input out of my zoo membership.

  • Charlie in Gresham (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Another State of the Union speech.....they are all pretty much the same dating back to Nixon. Lyndon Johnson's were differnt...he hated doing them and they never lasted more than 20 minutes.

    Sid you lost the pool......911 was never mentioned. All money in the pool reverts to next years pool.

    Seriously.....W's opening with a tribute to Coretta King was tasteful and eloquent. YES eloquent. Shrub does have it in him now and then.

  • (Show?)

    The eloquence must have affected Charlie. Nine-11 was mentioned in the fifth paragraph.

  • Ed Bickford (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Three words on Bush: He's got nothin'!

  • Becky (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Who cares what the liar said? It's all just a show anyway. All we really need to know about the state of the Union is that Cindy Sheehan was arrested for daring to exercise her First Amendment rights by sitting quietly in the balcony with an anti-death T-shirt that challenged the commitment of the President to the supposed "culture of life." Based on that, I'd say our Union is in critical condition.

  • pdxdem (unverified)
    (Show?)

    What a joke that speach was. Our liar in cheif can't speek in complete sentences. I got a kick out the energy plan. Oh wait what energy plan. I am so embarrased to be an american with a leader this stupid!

  • Winston Wolfe (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Hey Kids,

    Like it or not the most important moment of the State of the Union speech was the introduction of the new and “improved” Supreme Court.

    That is Bush's Legacy cemented for the next 30 years and it started last night.

    God bless the poor Americans that get in inherit this country.

  • Anon (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Did anyone else have the impression that Cheney would have rather been watching American Idol?

  • dmrusso (unverified)
    (Show?)

    After promising myself that I would not listen to Bush's speech last night, I decided to tune in.

    I loved when Bush shook is finger at Hillary and the rest of the Democrats!

    I think that it is sad that we have a President that most Americans can outthink. The speech said a lot about nothing. Whatever happened to the promise to put men on Mars?

    Stating empty threats to Iran will accomplish NOTHING. Bush's invasion of Iraq has proven that the only sure defense vs. the U.S. is nuclear weapons. As scary as it is to me that nations such as Iran will one day possess them, I cannot blame them for wanting to defend themselves against US Imperialism. Iran saw how we dealt with North Korea. We did not invade them because of the threat of nuclear weapons. Instead, we began to negotiate. That is what nukes do... they force the U.S. to treat you as an adult.

    As to Kaine: In some ways he was a good choice because he did win in a largely RED state. His state has done good things for education. He didn't speak much to Iraq, but that is a quagmaire that no one has a decent answer for. His domestic talk was much stronger and easily illuminated the weakness of Bush's domestic agenda. I do feel a bit uncomfortable that he is anti-abortion, but at least he is also anti-death penalty. Not sure if Kaine is a "rising star" or not, but is an example of how large the Democratic tent truly is compared to the Republicans.

  • Tom Civiletti (unverified)
    (Show?)

    In summation:

    Shrub keeps the lies coming. Democrats answer mediocrity with more of the same.

  • Garlynn (unverified)
    (Show?)

    I spun two DJs set and recorded them last night. Completely missed the whole "speech," if that's what you want to call it. Talked with my buddy over lunch today, and the only way that he got through the entire thing intact was... drinking and herbalizing. Yup. He wound up too incapacitated to do his laundry afterwards, but he made it through. I say he deserves a medal.

    Of course, I gave away my T.V. to my housemate and he keeps it in his bedroom, so I would have had to do some creative thinking to catch the speech anyways (internet, pub, friends house, etc.) and frankly... I could spare myself the stress.

    Unless he got assasinated, Cheney keeled over dead, and the rest of the GOP all caught virulent flesh-eating nastiness during a group gang-bang, I think I didn't miss much.

    cheers, ~Garlynn

    P.S. I think my sets turned out good, actually.

  • Jon (unverified)
    (Show?)

    For those who missed it, here are the Top 10 State of the Union highlights:

    1. Demonize the Democrats
    2. Bait the Base
    3. Cognitive Dissonance and the Bush Doctrine
    4. Delicious Irony, Tehran Edition
    5. Bitch Slapped on Social Security
    6. What Health Care Plan?
    7. Energy Crisis?
    8. Pandering to African-Americans
    9. Gang Banger Laura Bush?
    10. Katrina and the Waves
  • dmrusso (unverified)
    (Show?)

    -Garlynn,

    Ok... the image of the GOP getting it on in a group-gang-bang has pretty much ruined my sex life FOREVER. Thank you SOOO much!

  • Alice (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Garylynn: They should have let your herbalizing buddy do the Democratic Response. At least the entertainment value would have been better. What do his eyebrows look like when he's stoned?

    Ain't this country grand?

  • Sid Leader (unverified)
    (Show?)

    W flogged 9/11 in less than four minutes. I win!

  • Chuck Butcher (unverified)
    (Show?)

    Aw darn, I figured surely somebody whould have a pool for how many time "terrer" was used. Dang, ain't ya skeered, yet? (terrisss counts, too)

  • Tenskwatawa (unverified)
    (Show?)
    <h1></h1>

    For the record, somewhere, those planets don't line up again. Sho W's over. How the months seem to fly by when you are having dumb. T minus two and counting

    <hr/>
open discussion

connect with blueoregon