Let's Hear It for Fiscal Disaster!

Listening for incongruous applause, usually the product of partisan counterclapping, is one way I stay awake during State of the Union speeches. My favorite example this year: When Bush mentioned the failure of his Social Security plan, Democrats stood and applauded the president's defeat. Republicans retaliated by applauding enthusiastically when Bush added, "The rising cost of entitlements is a problem that is not going away." Yay! We're screwed!