The President of the United States delivered his State of the Union Address this evening and did so like a Prize fighter. After what was the most eloquent introduction by the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, the President, prior to offering so much as a word of his speech, made an equally eloquent introduction of the first female Speaker while conjuring up images of her Father, watching the very same speeches nearly a half century earlier and of his pride in seeing from heaven his daughter now in this most important post in government, seated behind the President of the United States.

 

As the President watched over the sea of black suits and red dresses (apparently red is this years black in women’s fashions) he made immediate welcomes to those who were new and congratulated the Democratic majority. This is the Uniter and Chief starting what was a near perfect speech. This is George W. Bush; I no longer count his lack of grammar or grasp of the English language against him, its simply the man’s way.

 

He started by making mention in a matter of fact way that we are currently in the 41st month of job growth, creating 7.2 million jobs. Now while not 19 million jobs as Clinton laid claim too, it is a sustainable growth that though modest is quite remarkable considering 9/11 and the near stifling of the economy.

 

The first of 8 major topics was the budget. He announced his desire to balance the budget and end deficit spending within 5 years. He then touted the fact that the budget deficit was cut in half 3 years ahead of schedule. Then he went a step further by announcing that this could all be done without tax increases. Now for the Democrats out there in Vof A land; I’m sure you are saying impossible and that it can’t happen without increases, but simple cuts in spending or even freezes in spending against a growing economy is a perfect logical way of doing just that.

 

Next up was Earmarks. I wish I could have been inside Nancy Pelosi’s head and heard the internal screams as Bush noticeably took one of her major accomplishments of the first 100 hours away from her. Making the point that Congress never votes these into law and that the President never signs them into law, the President usurped her by taking the lead in cutting them by half by the end of this session of Congress. Here is a point to strive for that Bush can not control, yet placed all the stress of accomplishment on Pelosi. When she fails due to Democrats spending it will be as if President Bush merely held the pie in place and Mrs. Pelosi walked into it.

 

Following that was the reassertion of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security reform thrust upon and new Congress dominated by the Democrats who have forever attempted to corner the market on the subject. It was a masterful move by a man thought to be against the ropes. A reinvigorated movement to save an entitlement program that was directed at the poor and the elderly initially will keep the Democrats constantly having to prove an untruth; that untruth being that SSI and Medicare are fine and that little “tweaks” are all that is needed to save the systems.

 

Public schools and parental control over their children’s education was to follow. With a Presidential pronouncement that the poor should have the right to the same education as all other Americans the Mr. Bush retook the lead on education. There is no reason poor people should have their kids stuck in lousy schools where the education level is dirt and the chances to gain a solid start are nonexistent. If you are standing in the way of vouchers you are standing in the way of children achieving.

 

The nest stop on the Presidential excursion into near perfection was one that makes so much sense it will probably make a dozen or more Democrats lose their ever loving minds, Universal Healthcare complete with private sector involvement. The idea of offering tax cuts for money spent on healthcare insurance is something that I, a tax hating Conservative, never even thought of. For a glimmer there this man was my President, as if I had molded him from clay myself. The plan to give families tax credits on the first $15000.00 we earn to offset the cost of insurance is a sure way to allow millions to pay for their own and not change their lifestyle. This benefits the poor most of all. There is no way in hell you can convince me or anyone else with a brain that this is helping the rich more than the poor.

 

Then came the stumbling point for most conservatives; Immigration. While paying the desired lip service to those like me by saying the magic words, “no amnesty” he continued to describe the country in 1900 terms with “melting pot” and other terms do draw a picture of the poor and mangy coming here for a new hope. That’s all fine and good, but they are not the ones we are most worried about, it is the welfare drawing, multi-generationally poor that nurse off the system, don’t learn English and never have any intention of becoming America citizens that we want gone. If you ever see this Mr. President, please lay the plan out as follows, control then concession. Secure the borders first then work out a plan for those who want to come here to work.

 

At last he came to the Democrats self appointed turf; The Environment. Raising CAFÉ standards by 5 times between now and 2017, cutting our dependence on gasoline by 20% by 2017 and actually mentioning Global Climate Change (notice he does not use the scare tactic Demo-term Global Warming) he has wrangled another position away from the left. The difference is he has a plan to actually accomplish the independence we need in order to free ourselves at least by ¾ from the Middle East and their control of the black gold we need to survive. BioDiesel and other resources are important but he is a realist at heart making clear the need to pump more oil out of the ground in the U.S. It must be clear to at least one Democrat in Congress that reality is reality; we as a nation will not turn on a dime to alternative fuels and the step plan is the only way it will ever work.

Then just to nudge the Democrats a little, for there is no real reason for it, he asked for a doubling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. An ode to Clinton…

 

The 7th major mention was the right for Judges to have their up or down vote in Congress. Needless to say this is important if we are to set the courts on a track to actually support and be constrained by the constitution while keeping those judges out who would use it as a place to create and pass legislation without Congressional oversight i.e. passing the law in the first place as they are supposed too. We will see if the Congress gets as upset at the way the courts pass laws in their absence as they so when this President does what he is rightfully authorized to do under the War Powers Act.

 

Finally he came upon the topic of the decade, the war on terror in Iraq. Making clear the case for the Iraqi’s need to stand up and be in charge he also clarified the need to not make our presence there open ended. But being a realist, something that few on the left can claim when talking about the war, he repeated the very real possible future for Iraq should we withdraw too soon; an Iraq in the hands of terrorist finding it to be a wonderland where they can move freely and train intensely for the attacks that are sure to come if they gain ultimate control of the region. He made few mentions of 9/11 only bringing it up as a reminder of tragedy and the day the war started for us. But I’m sure to the liberals mentioning it at all was too much. He admitted 2006 was a hard year for us in this regard but reminded us of the success we had in 2005 with not one, not two but three counties formerly under a boot of intolerance having free elections. Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq all made choices for themselves in 2005.  He talked of the need for an increase in troops, which I still think is too small,  and a plan to utilize them as support for the Iraqi Army, which I hope really is really is ready to start taking a leading role in the war. He foresaw the future and the need for an additional 92,000 troops prepared to be used in case of an emergency (which many will say are for Iran, I disagree). And he pointed out the need to stand by moderates and reformer abroad as they are the surest way to create a world of peaceful states working together.

 

Finally, he did something almost Reagan-like, he began to tell a few stories about success in America, from a foreign born who has created his own wealth to natural born Americans who have created a better world for themselves. It was not a shinning city on a hill speech, but considering who was giving it was as close as he will ever get.

 

All in all it was a good speech. The President took aim at the new congress and made clear his intention to fight this war to an American victory not a stalemate, draw or loss.


That being said...This will change the mind of absolutely nobody. Those liberals who hate Bush will say he's lieing, those who like him will stay quiet and those who don't care, still won't. Too little too late might have been a better name for this one if you thinks he was looking for political cover. But if you look at it for what it is, a briliantly planned flanking of the liberals current high ground position, you might just see that behind the slow talking down home sound, there is something in here that seems genuine. A bit less cocky but somehow more sure of himself.

 

But what would I know; I’m just an Average American.