Admit it, that was great. Come on, it was awesome. You probably didn't even watch it did you? Well, if you missed the State of the Union Address then you missed out. Say what you like about him but Obama has once again showed us why he is the president. When Obama gives a speech, it ends and whether you agree with him or not you just feel compelled to say, "okay, sign me up, just tell me what to do and I'll do it." And that is a mark of great leadership. He also seems to be right on track with knowing what the nation needs and not just professing support for the American People. I liked what he had to say about the economy, the support of small businesses, rolling back tax breaks on companies that ship jobs overseas, and curbing government spending. I'll believe it when I see it, yet I will also lend favor to any movement in these directions. Favorite Parts of the Night? Obama's hatred of the bank bail-out and the proposed fee on banks that give bonuses. The off-hand acknowledgement of the manipulation of global warming statistics, yet how it also doesn't change a thing against all the good a more enviromentally sound policy would bring. His criticism of the Supreme Court for unfettering campaign contributions by corporations. Granted, by tradition the Supreme Court niether applauds nor detracts from anything said at the State of the Union, supposedly to show their stance above politics - thus making the supreme penguins something of a defenseless target. But. They truly deserved it this time. Corporations may be run by human beings yet until they actually act like human beings they don't deserve our rights and priveledges. By human standards most of them belong in jail. If anything the Supreme Court gagged the free speech of the American public by dramatically upping the ante on the amount of money its going to take to be heard come election time. At least now we'll have a better grasp on what businesses are supporting who - and you better believe I'm going to vote with my wallet. Then there was that little dark cloud hanging over the left hand side of the auditorium - the new Republican majority/minority. Was it me or did they seem a bit schmutzy? As if support of oil/coal/nuclear left some soot on their clothes. They really need to get more exercise, like standing up and applauding more often. Least Favorite Part of the Night? Probably the ending. No, I did not want it to go on forever, and yes I was left wondering what Obama would do about the threat of human/animal hybirds (furries?) which Dubya once mentioned in one of his State of the Union addresses. Joe Biden did not put on deely boppers and sing a karaoke cover of Devo's Whip It! But. That warmth which filled the room, the hopefulness and the direction, it seemed to evaporate into thin air as all the congressmen and women got up to leave. The cameras panned over them as they languidly filed out and you saw old people with haggard faces in cookie cutter suits and just knew that tomorrow they will be determined not to budge a inch on any of their stances, that they believed that all that was said tonight and every standing ovation after standing ovation was nothing more than a dog and pony show for the masses. For them, tomorrow at work with be a day not much different from yesterday and government will continue pulling all the same old tricks and holding up the status quo no matter how badly it stinks. Who knows. The talk got through to me - I normally don't write about the State of the Union Address - maybe it will push congress past the tipping point of stagnation. If Joe Leibermann wants to fillibuster Health Care Reform I say let him try. Let's see if Droopy Dog can put on as good a performance as Jimmy Stuart once did. I'd place a bet that he wouldn't last two hours before dropping dead from a heart attack (gee, I hope he has good health care coverage). And if that didn't happen then I'd be amazed to see him get elected again (actually, I'm kinda amazed he ever got elected to begin with). I turned off the tube before the Republican rebuttal. Quite frankly, I didn't want to hear it. Since they lost power the Republicans have been nothing but a ball and chain on the leg of progress, actively working to make sure that nothing goes right in America until the next election. If they're going to be that way, then I say its time to key that lock, release that shackle and leave them behind. | 
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