I know… I know…
But, to make this a bit more entertaining for me, I’m going to do a general overview of the whole sha-bang.
Here we go.
I didn’t realize Congress had a bailiff. I wish they use the bailiff from Judge Judy.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, the President of the United States… Bush in da house!”
I’m sorry about that. I’m trying to drone out the mindless chatter of the analysts as Bush takes 5 minutes to walk 50 meters.
Shake, shake, back pat, shake, hug, shake, shake… Work that crowd man! Yeah!
How ‘bout Bush’s blue tie? I think Tom Brokaw likes it, or else he wouldn’t have pointed it out. Now THERE’s commentary I find entertaining. Why didn’t Joan and Melissa Rivers critique everybody’s outfits as they came in?
“Chief Justice Rehnquist! What’s with the black every year? Why don’t you try gray for a change? And that robe, it makes you look fat. Wear a suit, it’s more slimming.”
I love the observation that they make at the start of every major Presidential speech, how not all members of the President cabinet is present, just in case a major disaster happens.
I’m sure the Democrats would love to re-start a government where John Ashcroft, the one who drew the short-sit-out-straw, was the one in charge.
Man, Senator Hillary Clinton sure doesn’t look too happy to be there. She looks like a high school senior half way through a 3-hour pep assembly.
Tom Daschle looks perturbed about…, no wait, John Kerry looks…
Oh wait, I forgot, we’re no longer a united country like we were last year. I keep forgetting that.
It looks like the sour faces, which I thought was going to be a scattered thing, are going to be standard through out the night.
It sure is easy to spot the Republicans in the crowd when the Democrats refuse to join the standing ovation for tax cuts.
It looks like every Democrat running in 2004 is doing everything they can to look uncomfortable for fear, if they even smile once, they’d appear as if they’re supporting the President.
Okay, it looks like most Democrats will stand when the President talks about medical coverage and environmental subjects (even though Presidential Hopeful John Kerry (D) waited about 10 seconds before being the last one to stand up).
Whoa, we’ve been going for over 20 minutes and no one, besides the political pundits, has said the word “Iraq.”
No human cloning? No danger of Michael Keaton staring in Multiplicity II? I can live with that.
30 minutes and we have our first mentioning of Saddam. Here’s the hard stuff folks.
Talking about the “might of United States of America” is enough to get everybody on their feet again. Well, not everybody. It seems the only people not standing up during the speech are the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That’s understandable though. I’m sure they teach recruits not to stand up during briefings.
Also not standing are the photographers and cameramen crouched in the center aisle. They have the worst seats but the best view. How ironic to see people in suits sprawled out on the carpet like kindergartners during story time.
Bush say’s America accepts the responsibility of leading the world through these troubled times as well as the dangers that exist in them.
Serious hope: May the Lord help us through whatever that will entail.
Bush personally promises to protect the security of the American people. Boy is he going to be held to that.
Bush pronounced peninsula (pe-ni-sue-la) as pe-ni-shoe-la. The Democrats are gonna harp about that for the next couple of weeks (so will the Daily Show, but at least they’ll do it without overt bitterness).
Good, Bush is reminding people that the UN Inspectors aren’t there to prove Iraq has no weapons, but that that is Iraq’s job. A scavenger hunt for anthrax, mustard gas, and uranium in an area the size of California doesn’t sound like fun to me anyway.
For anyone wanting “more proof” before supporting a regime change war in Iraq, Bush went over a long list of previously known violations as well as some new details as well.
Okay, “horror’ came out “hur-rah.” Texas is in the South; that’s excusable.
When one promises liberation to a country surrounded by troops, one knows an invasion is imminent.
Oh…the Joint Chiefs of Staff will stand when Bush salutes the efforts of the armed forces. I see where their priorities are (as well as those of everyone else: that was one of the longest applause breaks thus far).
“The call of history has come to the right country.” Kudos to the Presidential script writer. He may be forgotten for all time, except for a random Grad Student or two who are working on their Thesis, but at least his, or her, words shone tonight. Cheers to what's their face!
Crud...the phone is ringing and I just discovered I was supposed to start my desk shift three minutes ago.
Curse what's their face and their alluring, hypnotizing words!
Curse the 2004 Democratic Candidates and their funny, agitated faces that reminded me of kids in detention!
Curse me too, but not as much as the previous two.
-Pause as I scramble for the elevator-
Okay, I'm now sitting at the desk, after emailing my message to my inbox to finish. I'm wearing my rubber boots, and no socks, because I grabbed the first footwear that came to hand. I spent several seconds trying to pop in a tape but Bush ended his speech right about the time I hit record.
Oh well...
It's gonna be a while before I get to review the various pundits' analysises, and numerous rebuttals, but I hope we all learned something tonight.
Or at least didn't get any stupider.
Sometimes treading water and keeping one's head above the water, even if one doesn't move anywhere, can be a big accomplishment.
Keep your head up and keep on swimming everyone.
