I’m not going to fool with it, for the most part. I was busy doing other things and didn’t do the one thing I almost never do, watch tv. Michelle Malkin has a very lengthy write-up on it, with lots of quotes and other insightful stuff. I’d suggest reading her post. One of the things she hi-lites is not anything about the speech, but who was seated with Laura:
- Wesley Autrey of New York, a construction worker awarded the city’s highest civilian honor for jumping onto the tracks in a subway station to save a man who had fallen from a seizure.
- Shuqui and Syshe Autrey of New York, daughters of Wesley Autrey.
- Air Force Tech Sgt. Michelle Barefield of Goldsboro, N.C., survivor of three improvised explosive device attacks in Baghdad.
- Pamela Battle of Washington, among the first low-income parents to apply for scholarships under the D.C. School Choice Incentive Program, the nation’s first and only federally funded voucher program.
- Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Corey Firman of Alexandria, Va., who volunteered for more than 30 convoys in Iraq and was subjected to more than 180 incidents of hostile fire.
- Shannon Hickey of Lancaster, Pa., founder at age 11 of Mychal’s Message, a nonprofit organization to further the legacy of her favorite priest, Father Mychal Judge. The New York Fire Department chaplain was killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when hit by debris from the World Trade Center.
- Marine Corps Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. of Parris Island, S.C., who received the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest medal, for heroic actions as a machine-gun squad leader with the 1st Marine Division in Iraq.
- Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Thomas of Hollywood, Fla., deployed overseas twice this year to support the Iraq war. He designed a law enforcement tactics video and lesson plans, training more than 500 foreign military servicemen.
- Army Sgt. Tommy Rieman of Independence, Ky., awarded the Silver Star for his actions on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq in December 2003.
Other than that, he basically kept to the same script he’s been following for the last few years. I agree with some, disagree with others, and overall am much more concerned with how cooperative Congress is with our President for the next two years. So, I’d rather just defer the nuts and bolts of the speech itself to:
- Michelle Malkin
- Ace of Spades ( Very well sums up my attitude as well )
- Mary Katherine Hall ( live blogged, as well as the Democrat response )
- Dean Barnett
The general consensus is this SOTU really didn’t matter. I tend to agree.
23
Jan
And, not to be omitted intentionally, Mitt Romney’s in as well.
23
Jan
Somehow I lost John Edwards in the shuffle. He "declared" a little while back. Since I was distracted with work stuff, by the time I got freed up, he had been swarmed by all the other announcements. That, situation, I think, is probably true for his entire campaign to this point. He’s a good campaigner, and should recover some, but I really don’t think he’ll be viable in the long run as he’s just too generic to stick out, not the latest fad like he was the last time, doesn’t have the flash of an Obama, and doesn’t have the purse of Hillary. He’s got a fight on his hands. However, the one thing he doesn’t have this time is the weight of John Kerry dragging him down. Let’s take a look-see at what people think, OK?
This is a riot, mainly because it’s so incredibly well done!
Best I can gather, most of these originally appeared on Worth1000.com?
23
Jan
President Bush is set to unveil a new health care incentive tonight. People are already all over it. My gut feeling is this will help, but not solve, the crisis we have in the US. It’s not so much a problem that people can’t afford health insurance, it’s more a problem that even their employers are having problems paying for it. Secondly, there’s no law that says any employer HAS to provide it. Now, the problem I have with this proposal is it puts a small band-aid on the problem of paying for it. Although saving money is sweet, lowering the overall cost from $1,000 a month to say, $700 a month isn’t really going to help a whole lot. There are too many other problems that need to be addressed before health care in the United States becomes an efficient mechanism for making sure the people of this country are as healthy as they can be. And, some of those cures run smack in the face of traditional US values. So, what Bush is proposing is nice, but not enough to do a whole lot of good. Pelosi and her bunch will shoot it down and that will be the end of it. Ted Kennedy wants us all on Medicare, so I don’t imagine any Republican alternatives being seriously considered by Congress for a couple of years at least.
23
Jan
Although not delcared yet, Rudy Giuliani is making all the moves to run for ’08. One move I particularly like is apparently hiring Patrick Ruffini to run his web stuff. I really like Ruffini‘s info. I really like the tone of Ruffini’s stuff. It’s not over-the-top inflamatory stuff, it’s just the nuts and bolts kind of stuff I like a lot. If Giuliani is taking that approach to this race, he could definitely get my vote. On Ruffini’s vague post of what is happening, someone mentions Giuliani’s not viable nationwide because he’s not conervative enough. That, IMO, is EXACTLY what the Republicans need at this time. Let’s test that theory, shall we?
UPDATE: February 5, 2007: Rudy is officially in.
23
Jan
John McCain’s in, sort of. Unlike most of the other candidates, he has a long history of positions. You pretty much know what you’re getting with McCain, like it or not. However, I’m gonna do another obligatory poll just to see where he stands.
23
Jan
I heard about this one floating around the internet a couple of days ago. I figured it was just another one of those bogus over-the-top emails. I was apparently wrong:
“Do you ship to APO (military) addresses? I’m in the 1st Cavalry Division stationed in Iraq and we are trying to order some mats but we are looking for ships to APO first.”
On the same day, Hess received this reply:
“SGT Hess,
We do not ship to APO addresses, and even if we did, we would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq.
Bargain Suppliers
Discount-Mats.com“
Once “outed”, discount mats supposedly fired the employee who wrote the email. And, at this time, this is the response you get if you visit their website:
Sgt. Hess eventually goes the way of what makes the US great, he buys two cots somewhere else. The only thing Discount Mats apparently got was a major headache and lost sales. That’s what they deserve for hiring a butthead to work in sales.
21
Jan
Although I jumped the gun a little over there —>, Sam Brownback’s officially in.
20
Jan
Second biggest non-surprise of this race, Bill Richardson’s officially in.
