The State of the Union

Is it just me, or was the State of the Union address last night a joke? I’m not even really talking about the content, though I might get to that in a second; i’m more so talking about the entire thing. Why does the President (any President) need to deliver a 15 minute speech every year? If we’re being honest here, it’s actually a 7-8 minute speech punctuated by either the left or right side of the room standing up and clapping every 6 sentences or so, or whenever a dramatic pause seeems to linger too long.

Last night was an excuse for the right side of the room to engage in some primetime, standing o back-slapping and for the left side of the room to cheer about all the things that Bush wanted that he didn’t get. And the funny thing is, apart from Bush’s typical soaring rhetoric and broad-sweeping idealism, the other two thirds of the entire speech could have been said by Clinton when he was in office. It would have been completely in line with that administration. I’m amazed that people wonder why I have a hard time manufacturing any real interest in politics.

The Democratic response wasn’t all that stellar, either. Apparently there is a “better way”, as Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine repeatedly said, but I listened to his whole response and didn’t get much of a gauge as to what that better way was (other than “Not Bush,” which is sort of the equivalent of saying, “this sucks, so let’s change it to an undefined thing that will OF COURSE be better simply because it is not the thing that currently sucks.” I’m not saying it isn’t true, i’m just saying it’s a bit ridiculous.) 

Besides, did you see that guy’s left eyebrow? It is SERIOUSLY CREEPY. I don’t know how anyone could elect a politician with that creepy of a facial feature. That probably makes me shallow.