SOTU Thoughts

Just wanted to add my comments to John's above.

1. ABC is treating the Iraqi woman hugging the poor mother of the dead Marine as an iconic, defining moment that crystallizes everything Bush wanted to say and what he is trying to do in Iraq. Cokie Roberts acted as if the spontaneous hug was virtually miraculous. Anyone who WOULDN'T comfort the parents of a dead soldier would be miraculous, IMHO. It does not define or justify Bush's handling of Iraq. It's just common decency.
2. Bush lied about Social Security -- it is NOT going "bankrupt." It can go 40 years without changing one thing and provide more benefits than the plans put forward by Republicans. If the very cautious estimates about the economy are exceeded, it may be even stronger -- all without building up trillions of dollars in debt in order to encourage people to save more. Bush's lies were fear-mongering. Social Security can be tweaked. It is not in crisis. At least the Dems grumbled. Bush listed a string of people who have made suggestions about how to keep Social Security solvent beyond the 40 years in the future it is already assured of. It was notable that he still hasn't offered a plan of his own.
3. What does giving immigrants temporary worker permits have to do with keeping out drug dealers and terrorists? Bush loves to push one plan by pretending it tackles a problem utterly unrelated to it.
4. Bush made "duty" sound like "doody."
5. My favorite moment -- watching Bush belittle the vice president's daughter by saying her relationships are a threat to society. Republicans cheered and Cheney had to just sit there and take it. At least he didn't applaud.

The Dem response is putting me to sleep.