At 11:20 AM 1/29/2003 -0800 Miller, Jeffrey wrote:
>I have to agree. I wasn't moved much. The first half seemed to be him
saying "yeah, sure" to a bunch of domestic programs without offering much
new (although the extra $ for Africa was a welcome point.) The second half
started strong, but dwindled to a lackluster finish.
>
Well, this is sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of
thing. First, last year, Bush had exactly that principle - the "axis of
evil", and as happens everytime you articulate a principle, those that
oppose the principle get infuriated.
Likewise, there is sort of an expectation for a State of the Union to be
broad in scope - and it is worth noting that Bush's was far less of a
laundary list than Clinton's speeches. Nevertheless, not mentioning an
issue in a State of the Union has become something of a slight.... and
people get upset that an issue is not being taken seriously if it is not
mentioned there.
Thus, given these constraints, I think that Bush strike a solid balance
between covering a broad array of topics while still selecting a few
priorities and principles for emphasis.
JDG
_______________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"The liberty we prize is not America's gift to the world,
it is God's gift to humanity." - George W. Bush 1/29/03
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