When the ever-more irrelevant Chris Matthews asks David Shuster to examine the reaction of the SOTU in the blogosphere, and David Shuster then handedly carries out that task, delivering the viewers of the ever-more tedious Hardball program the commentary provided in the "blogosphere," where exactly is David Shuster reading to get the "reaction" from the "liberal and consevative bloggers?" What, Daily Kos and Instapundit? Anywhere else?
I did find it humorous, however, that the capable Shuster discussed the supposed rampant commentary that bloggers, me included (liberal bloggers, I should correct myself), made about the sarcastic applause line the democrats fed the president over his acknowledgement that his Social Security plan fell through.
Okay, as the president speaks, a few thoughts...
- Whose pessimistic?
- Renewable energy good. Nuclear power, certainly the main part of his so-called plan, bad. Safe nuclear power is a misnomer.
- The Great Spender, the Great Tax Cutter, which one is it?
UPDATE:
- And the "creator." Yea, he doesn't really exist.
- GOP members once again befuddled by interrupting applause line by democrats when Bush announced that his Social Security plan fell through this past year. The GOP then applaud when the president states there is a coming crisis. (Is that a good thing?)
- More teachers and education funding good. Will he pay for it? (I don't think so. This is a typical conservative ploy: Be grandiose with social programs when widely viewed...)
UPDATE:
- Bill Clinton joke. Nice touch. But does he mean it? (Is this his offer to the other side of the aisle for a truce?) As my sister-in-law-to-be imed me... "mr. bush quite the jokster tonight." Right on, sister.
In order to take a refreshingly-clear view of tonight's presentation in the nation's Capitol Building, the "State of the Union," as delivered by the President of the United States, George W. Bush, a constitutionally-mandated event, let us recall the sentiment of the public...
A majority disapprove of the job Bush is handling just about everything, including the stuff he was supposed to be good at...
And a near super-majority (damn the people who state "Don't Know;" hang up the phone) believe this nation's policies need to take us in an entirely new direction...
Images: Los Angeles Times
What will Bush provide for us tonight in lieu of public sentiment? A new policy in Iraq? Nah; "stay the course." A new terrorism policy? Or continued eavesdropping? We know about his proposed plan for Health Savings Accounts (he has been touting them for years), but that system isn't going to fix anything with regard to the looming health care crisis; it will probably end up along with his plans to privatize Social Security. Will he propose making the wealthy-man tax cuts permanent? Of course. New direction? Probably not...
In the middle of the Washington Mall lies the George Washington Monument, seen from nearly everywhere in DC (it is drastically flat along the Atlantic). The next installment in the "reyonthehill does dc" project...
"A Phallic Symbol" (9 seconds)
I am not sure if this will become a regularly-posted feature, but sometimes there is so much news to comment on, and so little time to do so; therefore, a la so many other blogs (you read it here, first)...
- Speaking of ExxonMobil's horrific profits, they are now asking for their money back from the Valdez tragedy.
- Google continues their conquest to control the web-based world.
- Where does the term "going postal" come from?
- The White House (surprise) has increased efforts to "literally control news" by restricting access to photographers.
Endnote: Do you feel this "In the News" feature is a good idea?
Cursing in the blog title again...
In an unmistakable, possibly-insurmountable task of rewriting the short (but ever-lengthening) history of the war in Iraq, Bush has realigned the planets on the argument that promoting democracy (sometimes, even against the nation's will) will yield peace on earth, or, at least, more profits for Halliburton (HAL) and Bechtel (sorry, privately-held). This is all fine and dandy (and it is imperative to recall that less than one hundred years following the formation of this Union, the "United States" project, a civil war of historic proportions broke out), but isn't a democracy all about the people's freely-elected choice, not the necessarily pro-US candidate or desired outcome? Democracy is flawed; but we live by that. (Reference: Bush, circa 2000.) Toles... (Click on image for full cartoon.)
Image: Yahoo!
More wonderful news out of the oil industry: ExxonMobil's profits this past year was "the largest annual reported net income in U.S. history." Bravo; well done.
I step back for a brief moment and introduce the "reyonthehill does dc" project in the second installment.
"Introduction, Take 2" (19 seconds)
The most recent CBS News poll examines the idiocy and hypocrisy of a largely-apathetic nation. On the one hand, the public decries (supposedly) the perception that a large amount of bribery occurs in Washington. Oh my...
On the other hand, no one seems to care...
Images: CBS News
Eep. The only recent second-term president with a worse approval rating than Bush at this stage in his tenure was Richard Nixon, who was in the midst of a crisis stemming from the ever-growing Watergate scandal and the congressional investigation into the matter. (Nixon would resign in August 1974; hint, hint.) Once again, eep...
Image: CBS News
