State of the Union Open Thread

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Reasonoids will be blogging it: You can get over the trauma of George W. Bush's final State of the Union here.

Ken Layne's exhaustive drinking game here.

9:13: I'm waiting, like a lot of people, for Bush to plug his earmarks executive order… but boy, Ramesh Ponnuru's anti-porkbusters essay never sounds truer than when Bush talks about spending much, much more on a stimulus than we'll save on cutting some earmarks.

9:17: Not that the earkmark executive order is bad. It's nice to hear Bush say it.

9:19: None of this is going to happen, is it? Not even the Republicans ovate the call to end "junk medical lawsuits."

9:20: "Trust children to learn if given the chance"? Is he coming out against NCLB?

9:21: Ah, no. He isn't. Ted Kennedy, who's pretty much responsible for passing NCLB in the Senate, sits quietly as Bush talks about what a great achievement it was.

9:26: Sweet, we're finally going to become energy independent! The news puts House energy committee chairman John Dingell to sleep.

9:27: I think we're going to see 2005-2008 as the time when climate change denialism finally died in the leadership of the GOP. Especially if John McCain wins the party's nod.

9:28: Seriously, is anyone still impressed by the earmarks thing? The pleas for new spending and fulfilled spending requests are blowing that away.

9:30: "The whim of the gavel?" Are these anthromorphic, Fantasia gavels? Michael Gerson, you are missed.

9:31: "The pursuit of happiness leads to the path of service." OK, that didn't sound as bad until he made it really, really explicit that he was talking about state-sponsored services.

9:32: I don't think Bush has ever sounded weaker than when asking Congress to "propose your solutions" entitlement spending. Maybe when he was holding that Saudi prince's hand.

9:34: Good, wistful-sounding stuff on immigration.

9:36: "Wedding guests in blood-soaked finery"? Is Rob Halford writing this speech?

9:38: Did anyone else notice the gradual change from past tense to present tense when talking about Iraq? We've won! But not yet!

9:41: The Anbar Awakening… I haven't been reading

9:42: What was Joe Biden thinking when Bush talked about progress in Iraq? I'm guessing: "You're welcome."

9:45: Ironically, as Bush talks about something he's sure to get—total funding for our glorious war—the applause gets a little less lusty.

9:52: What's the difference between this Iran section and the Iran section of 2002? Not a whole lot.

9:54: The Library Tower b.s., again?

9:56: Jesus, did any Republican not cheer when Bush talked about FISA reform and retroactive liability protection?

10:01: OK, let's let the president have his "I salute you, randomly-selected heroes of freedom" moment… but this is like sticking around for the fourth quarter of a Clippers game.

And we're out!