The American Mind

After all these years of giving national speeches President Bush will never be good. He stuttered and stammered and not smooth. However, Bush’s words and their resulting actions are much more important.

State of the Union speeches are usually laundry lists of policy proposals and mostly wind up useless on the floor of Congress. This year’s speech was tighter and more focused.

On the domestic front Bush offered using the tax code to get private insurance for more uninsured. He also called for a 20% reduction in gas use within ten years. I have no problem with alternative energy like ethanol and solar as long as it competes freely in the market. Government mandates lead to one-size-fits-all solutions that won’t work as well as the organic development of new energy technologies. The SotU is full of cliches so I’ll throw out one of my own. The devil’s in the details. At least that cliche isn’t as bad as the worthless tradition of pointing good Americans out in the gallery.

Bush’s second half of the State of the Union dealt with Iraq, the reason the GOP lost big in last November’s elections. While not directly saying it, Bush told us the U.S. had a bad year in the Islamist War. With elections in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and (three in) Iraq Bush’s freedom promotion in Muslim lands looked promising. Talk was heard of troop reductions from Iraq. All that changed with the bombing of the Golden Mosque. Shia vs. Sunni then became the story with dozens dying daily in bombings and executions. That deadly spiral has lead to our current place where Democrats wish to leave Iraq as soon as possible. 2006 feels a little like the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. The enemy has make a big push. Determination and patience is now so important.

Why oh why did the President have to call it the “Democrat majority?” It’s the Democratic Party. Political civility doesn’t mean needling your opponent with the wrong adjective.

Sen. Jim Webb gave the Democratic response. It too was tightly written with Webb arguing for economic populism to help the middle class while bashing the rich. On Iraq Webb echoed Democratic talking points from last year’s election. Webb condemned President Bush for not listening to his selection of smart, good natured people who thought the Iraq War was a bad choice. Webb continues the Democrats’ incoherence on Iraq. Webb doesn’t want a “precipitous withdrawal” but wants troops to leave Iraq “in short order.”

Here’s other reaction:

• Ace:
  

  Here’s my live-blog on it, delivered in advance:

  “He seems uncomfortable and is just repeating many of the same tired slogans of the past, except with even less conviction… Now he’s proposing a raft of pricey new spending initiatives designed primarily to win over the support of those who hate him more — much more — than Osama bin Ladin. Okay, now he’s saying that Mexicans were good, nice people who deserve jobs more than Amercians. He’s saying something in Spanish now I don’t really understand — anyone know what Mi casa, su casa means? Oh, terrific — now he’s saying we have to work more closely with our “closest allies,” the fucking Scandis.”

• Dean Esmay:
  

  Yet another moderate speech from a moderately hawkish President with a slightly left-of-center view of domestic policy, with a few wonkishly good ideas that will mostly be shot down because he has an (R) next to his name.

• Brian Fraley:
  

  Overall, while there will be much teeth gnashing over Bush’s speech, you won’t find it here. Others who wish for a harder line or more conservative red meat must face the fact that, for now, the legislative agenda is in the hands of the Democrats.

• Bryan Preston talks about the Democrats’ concerns for Darfur. I noticed Speaker Pelosi didn’t stand when Bush talked about the “cause of freedom” in Cuba, but jumped when Darfur was mentioned. [via Sister Toldjah]

UPDATE: The best comment I read so far comes from Chad Evans: “[B]ut there’s no way I could have watched that whole speech through Bush’s ‘Bushisms’ and Pelosi blinking like it’s going out of style. Then on Bush’s right there’s Cheney looking at times like he’s having . . . stomach issues.”

More reaction:

• John Hinderaker:
  

  Apart from the ceremonial trappings, there was a good reason why so many Senators and Congressmen had to voice their approval: the President’s logic was compelling. The importance of Iraq; the disastrous consequences of failure; the grave long-term stakes in the Global War on Terror; and the need to give our new strategy a chance to succeed, are all hard to dissent from.

• Jules Crittenden gives the SotU President Bush should have delivered.
• Greg Tinti: “My expectations about what the president would say about the war against jihadism and Iraq were low, so maybe that’s why I found myself somewhat surprised.”
• Dan Riehl goes after Sen. Webb’s response:
  

  They remain the party which seeks to cultivate a society of average people, as opposed to nurturing what’s best in each and every American by urging them forward in working for their dreams, financial and otherwise. In the world view of today’s Democrats, apparently no one can succeed without government help. That concept flies directly in the face of most everything that has made America great, through its appreciation for rugged independence and every individual’s unique efforts and strengths.

• Ed Morrissey live-blogged the SotU, but even better he hosted an internet call-in show afterwards. I got in at the end to offer my few observations. You can listen to Ed weekly Thursdays at 9 pm Central Time.