Nice speech
Update: Got the name of the federal savings program wrong. It's the Thrift program, not the SWIFT program.
Just watched the State of the Union address. It was definitely one of the best speeches Bush has given. He was confident, smooth, authoritative and straight forward.
The highlight was the Iraq stuff near the end. The inclusion of Safia Caleb al-Suhail, the Iraqi human rights activist who sat next to Laura Bush, was a wonderful touch. A colleague saw the camera pan across her before the speech started and he said, "Woah, one of the Bush girls really plumped up!"
But seriously, I got choked up when this brave Iraqi woman stood and displayed her ink-stained finger, alternating that with the peace sign. The roaring standing ovation was awesome, too.
Best Bush lines:
I do wish -- and I incorrectly forecast this -- that Bush had also held up an inky finger. It would have been a nice show of solidarity. The only real objection I can think of is that maybe it would be inappropriate to indicate that a non-Iraqi, especially the president of the U.S., voted in the Iraq elections or something.
But Bush's speech was spot on. He vowed that "a small group of terrorists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people." He said the U.S. military will increasingly be in a supporting role as they train Iraqi police and miliary. He slapped down those calling for a firm timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq, rightly pointing out that would just advertise to the terrorists how long they need to hold out.
"We are in Iraq to achieve a result." That's exactly the right approach. Imagine if a company hired a CEO who came in and said, "I am going to increase profits by 50 percent, slash costs by 20 percent and raise our margins 5 percentage points. That, or stay in this job for 18 months, whichever comes first." Investors wouldn't really take him seriously.
The tribute to fallen soldiers was also very moving. The parents of the soldier killed in Fallujah looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed to be the focus of attention. It sounded like they got the longest and loudest applause. Bush got choked up and so did I.
Quick tour of the rest of the speech:
All good stuff. More of that, please. Why stop at 150 programs? Is one of them the Department of Education? No? Nuts.
Color me skeptical on the energy front. Oil is so cheap and there's so much of it that it just doesn't make economic sense to switch to something else. Interesting that Bush didn't link any of the alternative energy stuff into the environment. In fact, there was nothing on the environment in the entire speech. Not that there should have been, but it's interesting that he didn't give it a token mention.
Tax simplification is definitely good but unclear what changes Bush wants or envisions. He said they were studying the code but I doubt any plan will be as dramatic as eliminating all deductions and putting in a flat tax. Wait and see.
Strong stuff on Social Security. The president again was plain-spoken and clearly laid out the stakes and mathematics. Emphasizing the ownership aspect of the accounts, their gradual implementation, ability to be willed to children, etc., are excellent selling points. It was clever to reference the saving account system for federal employees. Basically he's telling average Americans, hey the government thinks this is a good system for its own employees, so why not for everyone? Nice touch.
The only part of the speech I really didn't like. Wants to prevent gay people from getting married. I thought he'd recently downplayed his support for that, so I was surprised to hear him clearly state it. The only thing I can figure is that he knows an amendment will never pass and he just gets some cred with the religious right for putting his support out there. Still wish he hadn't said it, though.
Just watched the State of the Union address. It was definitely one of the best speeches Bush has given. He was confident, smooth, authoritative and straight forward.
The highlight was the Iraq stuff near the end. The inclusion of Safia Caleb al-Suhail, the Iraqi human rights activist who sat next to Laura Bush, was a wonderful touch. A colleague saw the camera pan across her before the speech started and he said, "Woah, one of the Bush girls really plumped up!"
But seriously, I got choked up when this brave Iraqi woman stood and displayed her ink-stained finger, alternating that with the peace sign. The roaring standing ovation was awesome, too.
Best Bush lines:
"We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty as they showed the world last Sunday.
"Casting a vote is an act of civic responsibility, and for Iraqis it was an act of personal courage and they have earned the respect of us all."
I do wish -- and I incorrectly forecast this -- that Bush had also held up an inky finger. It would have been a nice show of solidarity. The only real objection I can think of is that maybe it would be inappropriate to indicate that a non-Iraqi, especially the president of the U.S., voted in the Iraq elections or something.
But Bush's speech was spot on. He vowed that "a small group of terrorists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people." He said the U.S. military will increasingly be in a supporting role as they train Iraqi police and miliary. He slapped down those calling for a firm timetable for a withdrawal from Iraq, rightly pointing out that would just advertise to the terrorists how long they need to hold out.
"We are in Iraq to achieve a result." That's exactly the right approach. Imagine if a company hired a CEO who came in and said, "I am going to increase profits by 50 percent, slash costs by 20 percent and raise our margins 5 percentage points. That, or stay in this job for 18 months, whichever comes first." Investors wouldn't really take him seriously.
The tribute to fallen soldiers was also very moving. The parents of the soldier killed in Fallujah looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed to be the focus of attention. It sounded like they got the longest and loudest applause. Bush got choked up and so did I.
Quick tour of the rest of the speech:
Keep America economic leader of the world ... restricting the spending appetite of the federal government ... halve the deficit by 2009, cut/eliminate 150 government programs... the principle is clear -- taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely or not at all
All good stuff. More of that, please. Why stop at 150 programs? Is one of them the Department of Education? No? Nuts.
protect honest business owners from junk lawsuits... economy held back by frivolous class action suits, asbestos suits... health care, community centers, medical savings accounts... reliable supplies of energy. hydrogen... four years of debate is enough. Congress needs to pass legislation that makes our country more secure and less dependent on foreign energy...
Color me skeptical on the energy front. Oil is so cheap and there's so much of it that it just doesn't make economic sense to switch to something else. Interesting that Bush didn't link any of the alternative energy stuff into the environment. In fact, there was nothing on the environment in the entire speech. Not that there should have been, but it's interesting that he didn't give it a token mention.
Federal tax code... revise code from top to bottom... pro-growth, easy to understand and fair to all... immigration system outdated. should not be content to punish hardworking people, deprive businesses of workers, cause chaos at borders...
Tax simplification is definitely good but unclear what changes Bush wants or envisions. He said they were studying the code but I doubt any plan will be as dramatic as eliminating all deductions and putting in a flat tax. Wait and see.
Social security great moral success of the 20th century... must strengthen and save social security. 55 and older, no changes in any way ... for younger workers, the system has serious problems that will grow worse with time... boos at comment that system will go bankrupt in 2042 (?)... it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress... nice list of bipartisan reform suggestions
over the years ... must not increase payroll taxes, no change for those near retirement. gradual changes ... the best way to reach that goal is for voluntary personal retirement accounts ... pass along account to children ... best of all, the money in the account is yours and the government can never take it away ... conservative mix of bonds and stock funds, no Wall Street fees, protect from market swings on eve of retirement ... cannot be taken out all at once but taken out over time ... federal employees already have Thrift saving plan. It's time to extend the same security and choice and ownership to young Americans
Strong stuff on Social Security. The president again was plain-spoken and clearly laid out the stakes and mathematics. Emphasizing the ownership aspect of the accounts, their gradual implementation, ability to be willed to children, etc., are excellent selling points. It was clever to reference the saving account system for federal employees. Basically he's telling average Americans, hey the government thinks this is a good system for its own employees, so why not for everyone? Nice touch.
Marriage ... Government is not the source of these values but government should never undermine them ... I support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage
The only part of the speech I really didn't like. Wants to prevent gay people from getting married. I thought he'd recently downplayed his support for that, so I was surprised to hear him clearly state it. The only thing I can figure is that he knows an amendment will never pass and he just gets some cred with the religious right for putting his support out there. Still wish he hadn't said it, though.
Radicalism and ideology of murder ... if people remain in despair, these areas become recruiting grounds of terror ... the only force powerful enough to stop rise of tyranny and terror ... is the force of human freedom ... ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world ... the United States has no right, no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That's the difference between us and our enemies ... cut to Afghan voter, nice applause ... we are witnessing landmark events in the advancement of liberty, in the coming years we will add to that story ... a Palestinian state is within reach and America will help them reach that goal ... Saudi Arabia, Egypt can show way towards democracy ...
Syria still allows terrorists. Demand Syria end support for terror and open the door to freedom ... Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror ... working with European allies to convince Iran to give up its nuclear program and end support for terror ... as you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.
<< Home