In an effort to stay on top of politics and current events, as well as fulfill my new year’s resolution [that's false, but saying that makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something] I’ll be blogging the State of the Union. Mostly with just my commentary and reactions. But that’s good enough, right?
8:58 – Watching American Gladiator. This is actually super awesomely intense and I think I’m hooked. Which isn’t surprising given how quickly I become hooked to most things. Scrabulous, anyone?
9:04 – I don’t remember any of these in the past, but why does the President get to show up 4 minutes late to his own speech? In what world is this acceptable?
And please, Bill Livingood, don’t announce Bush like it’s something surprising or exciting. Like Mickey Mouse is here and he brought chocolates for everyone.
9:06 – Careful with those man kisses, Bush. You’re not pledging a fraternity here.
9:07 – Question. Don’t these people see him like, every day? Or at least more often than most people. I find these reactions to his arrival to be a bit over the top.
CHRIST his daughter has a big head!
9:09 – I’m enthralled. They are cheering ALL. THE. TIME. He already walked down the aisle. You cheered. His name was said. You cheered. Calm it down, folks.
And thanks for the commentary, NBC. “There is a great deal of energy in the chamber.” Very insightful.
9:13 – Tax relief for which individuals and families? Again, not entirely good at the politics, but I’m pretty sure you heart the ones with the fat wallets, right?
9:14 – OH! And wait! Aren’t we like, $9 trillion in the hole? You started that debt, not me.
9:16 – He is so proud of himself that he can say all this without stumbling. Have you seen his eyebrows go up and down? He’s so blown away by himself.
And stop standing up. Standing ovations mean nothing if you do it every time he breathes in.
9:18 – I wish we would turn the way of Canada and make health care free for ALL Americans rather than making it available to more Americans.
9:22 – Wake up, Kennedy.
Also, there is still something seriously wrong with federal college loans. That needs to be worked on hardcore, please.
9:26 – My roommate is talking to me about Tom Cruise. I missed all of what was said.
9:27 – India is a developing country? Did I miss something somewhere?
9:28 – A lot of his speech has to do with ‘trust’. He keeps saying that we have to ‘trust in ____ to bring us quality ____’. Interesting that he chooses trust as an overall theme for his speech.
Also interesting is the alternative to stem cells. Haven’t heard of this before.
9:31 – Charitable Choice. Isn’t this possibly moving onto a slippery slope? I’m not saying they don’t do a good job, but rather I’m nervous where it could lead. What if Huckabee got elected President?? He would take that shit and run miles with it.
9:33 – Immigration. Doubled border control? All on Mexico, right? Although SURPRISE! He just said we need a way for workers to come over to work here legally! Very interesting. I’m kind of shocked to hear him say that.
9:35 – Here we go. Foreign policy. He just called into memory 9/11, and is saying we have kept the pressure on terrorists. And we’re going to continue to do so? What?
He didn’t even make a connection [yet] between 9/11 and Iraq, or why we’re even IN Iraq. It’s like he just used 9/11 as a tool to get people to cheer, but neglected to say ‘Oh yah, there was no thing in Iraq. Whoopsy daisy’.
9:40 – Iraq, here we go. It makes me uncomfortable that he lauds we ‘captured and killed’ so many people. Yes, terrorists. But still, that seems so cold.
9:45 – Solemn promise to the military…’You will have all you need to protect our nation’.
$9 trillion riiiising…
9:47 – Dick has been standing, sitting, standing, sitting, standing, sitting all night. Take a breather. Just clap.
9:49 – Iraq will be a favorable place in a dangerous area [something to that extent]? Does that mean we’ll be staying in Iraq for a long, long time?
9:51 – Goal by end of year? Democratic Israel and democratic Palestine live side by side in peace.
9:52 – Iran. I knew this would come up. Nuclear intentions? I thought this was already settled. Or is this where Bush said a few weeks ago that his information differed from what was supplied?
If we’re supposed to ‘trust’ in so many different people, why not try to trust the people who investigated Iran and found out that there is no nuclear activity there?
9:55 – He just made it seem like terrorist attacks on our soil are thwarted daily. And that because of what we have done in terms of ‘protecting’ ourselves is working. Apparently the government’s ability to spy on us all ends on February 1st [do I have that right?] and that in order protect ourselves and not fall under attack [which apparently almost always happens] we must extend past the 1st.
9:59 – Good news about increasing funding for veterans. Though I still feel we’re FAR away from how veterans should be treated in this country. Far too many come back disillusioned and more than down on their luck. So I’m glad things are being done on this front.
Aaaand it is done.
It is amazing how he spins so many topics. How so many things he says sound like the RIGHT thing, but then you read up or remember or research how, no that isn’t it. That isn’t how things happened. He talks about ‘We the people’ etc etc and yet, a lot of people are not happy right now with how he is doing things.
And from what he says, we’re staying in Iraq for a long time. That there will be a huge threat to our nation if we don’t have some type of sustained base there.
I wonder if anything like that will actually happen? Seeing as how the democrats are so against the war, and I’m willing to bet that America is ready to bring in Clinton or Obama, both of whom I hope will not support this war, it makes me think if somehow Iraq will continue for a long, long time.
10:11 – President Bush is signing autographs like an American Idol star in a middle school. I need to turn this off.
