Informed Speculation

Well, because my expectatations were low, perhaps, I thought he did pretty well.  I think the President performs better in front of audiences, frankly.  He laid out the case for Iraq better tonight than he did in his much anticipated Iraq policy speech.

I must say, though, that I found the Democratic response troubling in one spot in particular.  I know how it works; one half often applauds uproariously while the other sits on its hands.  It’s partisan, and it’s somewhat in fun.  But this line should have had sustained applause across the chamber:

Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.

No mention of the surge, no particular policy in Iraq, no particular stance on anything but resolve and victory, and our power to shape the outcome – and you could have counted the number of Democrats standing on one hand.

Shameful is the only word that comes to mind…ladies and gentlemen, I present the plain fact to you: the Democrats have given up in Iraq.  Let us thank God that we have two more years of a president who has not…

UPDATE 9:39 p.m.: Speaking of giving up, here’s what I said earlier today about the New York Times:

The New York Times’ lead editorial tomorrow is already written (it’s a harsh denouncement of the President’s agenda), and nothing he says tonight will change that.

And it was already written! Mere minutes after the end of the speech, the editorial board has already managed to converge, discuss, and publish their ‘official reaction’:

The White House spin ahead of George W. Bush’s seventh State of the Union address was that the president would make a bipartisan call to revive his domestic agenda with “bold and innovative concepts.” The problem with that was obvious last night — in six years, Mr. Bush has shown no interest in bipartisanship, and his domestic agenda was set years ago, with huge tax cuts for wealthy Americans and crippling debt for the country.

Combined with the mounting cost of the war in Iraq, that makes boldness and innovation impossible unless Mr. Bush truly changes course. And he gave no hint of that last night. Instead, he offered up a tepid menu of ideas that would change little…

Spineless hacks…