A Little Politics

I just finished watching President Bush's State of the Union address, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

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President Bush's introduction of my former congresswoman, Madame Speaker (Pelosi), was perfrect. Unfortunately, it set a standard he couldn't keep up. I was folding my wash during the speech, and it was more interesting than his laundry list. My thoughts on the list by topic:

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Economy: Balancing the budget is a winner with me -- the government should be the spender of last resort, and we are not in a depression. More accountability for earmarks (read "PORK") is a good idea, but always seems to come up after your party loses control of the House. Impressive will be if Speaker Pelosi promotes this even though she now has the power. Fixing Social Security and Medicare is a great idea, but would require a plan, which he failed to give. Pleasantly absent was any mention of the magic of tax cuts.



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Education: As President Bush patted himself on the back for the No Child Left Behind act, I wanted shots of Sen. Kennedy -- I'm not sure he's as pleased. I also thought it was a little wimpy to say "giving families...the right to choose something better" and not say VOUCHERS.

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Health Care: I'm taking a "glass 1/2 full", "every little bit helps" approach on this one. I'm not sure why people WITH health insurance need a deduction (sounds like a tax cut for people with jobs and money -- maybe I was wrong above). I guess it's a good incentive to the uninsured, but I doubt it will get the job done. Giving states flexibility is probably a good thing -- Lord knows CA and PA have different issues. Health savings accounts -- Eh? OK. Might help.
Medical liability reform -- hell, yes! In fact, include it as a big part of overall tort reform. Deciding what tests to order is hard enough without pondering potential legal actions. "The best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors." Duh, but thanks for getting it in there. Now make it happen.

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Immigration: I am not, in general, for creating a second class of American citizenship, i.e., guest workers, but I might consider a temporary measure to get some control over the borders. The operative word being temporary. The long term goal needs to be better legal immigration, to some degree matched with true labor needs, and addressing current illegal immigrants and there children, who are often citizens.

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Energy: Nice of the President come around to the idea that developing alternative energy sources can decrease our dependence on foreign oil and enhance our national security. The energy goals are good -- I honestly don't know how achievable they are, but they are a start. Americans rise to a challenge, e.g., making it to the moon before 1970. Drilling in ANWR was thankfully only an oblique reference in one sentence. Doubling the strategic petroleum reserves -- why not?


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The War on Terror: Maybe it's because I want to believe we're still achieving something with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but I thought the litany of disasters averted was the second most effective part of the speech (after Speaker Pelosi's intro). I found the summary of events less engrossing, and trying to claim that "This is not the fight we entered in Iraq" was flat out slippery -- plenty of people more or less predicted EXACTLY this.

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Iraq: I, like many, was hoping for a reversal of the surge plan, but I knew it wouldn't happen. Kudos to whomever wrote "whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure." Great line.
I do want to note, for later arguments with Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives, that the president said: "Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq -- and I ask you to give it a chance to work. AND I ask you to support our troops in the field -- and those on their way." My point -- even the President realizes that these are TWO SEPERATE REQUESTS. You CAN be for the troops and against a given strategy.

The special advisory council could be a good thing, as long as the President listens to it and it isn't packed with Yes-men (and women). I also agree with increasing the size of the Army and Marines -- I just hope that meeting the goals requires allowing homosexuals to enlist. I don't really understand the Civilian Reserve Corps thing, but I'll keep an open mind.

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AIDS/Africa: The more, the better. Mentioning malaria was also a good touch -- I think I see the fingerprints of Dr. Gerberding on it. Some would argue that charity begins at home, and we have a lot of sick people in the US. I agree with the President: "To whom much is given, much is required." In addition, we have some work to do in rebuilding our international reputation, and saving some lives can't hurt. I just wish he would apply that philosophy to taxation and sacrifice in times of war.


The Greatest American Heroes: Dikembe Mutombo and Julie Aigner-Clark have achieved much, and their stories are illustrative of the American dream. I thought they paled a little next to Mr. Autrey and Sgt. Riemen, heroes who have risked their lives for others. They seem larger than life, but hopefully are reminders to us, and the world, of what real Americans do when called to action. Thanks.

I also watched Sen. Webb give the democratic response. He needs to get more comfortable with speaking in front of a camera, but the content and personal story were great. As a moderate, a veteran, and a Democrat from Virginia he's someone to watch.

I also watched MSNBC interview Sen. Clinton, Sen. Obama, and former Sen. Edwards. They impressed me in that order, which is sad, since Sen. Edwards usually comes across well. I was going to include my current analysis of the Democratic Primary, but this is already too long. Look for it soon.