Global warming is affecting climate change around the world, the middle class is disappearing, we are entering our fourth year in Iraq, and 3060 American troops have been killed there as of today. Seems about time for some more State of the Union liveblogging here at CityCynic.com!
Let’s hear what the president has to say… hopefully it will be better than when we suffered through Bush’s “surge” strategy speech (that interrupted Deal or No Deal last week…
9:15 PM — “Tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own — as the first President to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker.” Both sides stand, applaud, and cheer.
9:17 PM — “This economy is on the move and its our job to keep it that way.” How strange is it to see Dick Cheney and Nancy Pelosi sitting next to each other behind Bush?
9:19 PM — “We must balance the federal budget.”
9:20 PM — “We can fix Medicare and Medicaid and fix Social Security.”
9:21 PM — Bush wants Congress to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act. “Minority students are closing the achievement gap.” First lady Laura Bush stands and applauds. NBC shows the first of many Hilary Clinton / Barrack Obama camera shots.
9:23 PM — Citizens should have affordable healthcare. Private health insurance is the best way to meet citizen’s needs.
9:24 PM — “Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step for making healthcare affordable.”
9:25 PM — Help for small business health plans, reduce costs with better information technology.
9:26 PM — Bush calls for medical liability reform to “protect good doctors from junk lawsuits.”
9:27 PM — Bush calls for doubling the size of the Border Patrol and a temporary foreign worker program so that there’s “no excuse left for violating the law.”
9:29 PM — “Let’s uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals.” That’s right, the all-knowing melting pot will know what to do! Someone tell Bush the melting pot is not a person…
9:30 PM — Resolve immigration policy “without animosity and without amnesty.”
9:31 PM — Foreign oil dependence makes us vulnerable to terrorists. Invest in clean coal tech., wind energy, safe nuclear power, and look into better hybrid vehicles, bio-diesel, and new methods of producing ethanol (wood chips to grasses).
9:32 PM — Bush announces plan to reduce gasoline usage in US by 20% in next 10 years, using 35 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2017, and to reform fuel economy in cars. He asks Congress to double the current capacity of strategic oil reserve.
9:33 PM — Mentions combating global climate change.
9:34 PM — Bush chides the Democrats by calling for definite “up or down votes on judges.” The Repulican side stands and cheers, while all the Democrats remain seated.
9:35 PM — Bush alludes to 9/11: “The horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us, unless we stop them.” “One question has been settled, that to win the War on Terror, we must take the war to the enemy.”
9:38 PM — “America’s still a nation at war.” Al Qaeda… are Sunni extremists, with goals opposite of civilization: “they preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.” Shia extremists are just as hostile towards us, take instructions from Iran. “The sunni and shia extremists are different faces of the same terrorist threat.”
9:41 PM — Bush incorrectly says its been 6 years since 9/11. “What every terrorists fears most is human freedom.” “Most will choose a better way when given a chance”, so let’s support moderates around the world. NBC cuts to Condi Rice, who has a permanent scowl.
9:44 PM — Lebanese drove out Syrian occupiers, Iraqis voted. Bush’s first “killers” reference: “killers in their midst.” NBC shows Sen. John McCain sleeping, Sen. John Kerry clearly is not impressed
9:46 PM — “Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.”
9:47 PM — “The Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital.” Bush is deploying 20,000 reinforcements, plus 4,000 Marines to Anbar province to find terrorists and “clear them out.” “We didn’t drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.” True… but how about safe haven right there in Afghanistan?
9:48 PM — Bush pushes Iraqi leaders and government to take control and to “make good on its commitments.”
9:50 PM — Don’t “ignore the lessons of September the 11th.” VP Dick Cheney stands and applauds, while Pelosi stays seated and looks on sternly.
9:52 PM — Give new strategy a chance to work, and support troops in the field and on the way (which is a jab at Democrats proposing pulling funding). The war we fight in Iraq is a generational one.
9:53 PM — Bush calls for an increase in active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years and to establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps.
9:55 PM — Bush coins the idea of “the Quartet” — the U.N., the European Union, Russia, and the US. The Quartet needs to work on fixing Cuba, Belarus, and Burma — “and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur.” This gets a rousing round of applause and standing ovation.
9:56 PM — “We are taking on hunger and poverty and disease around the world.”
9:57 PM — Asks to Congress to help “provide $1.2 billion over five years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries.”
9:58 PM — NBC superstar Dikembe Mutombo is Bush’s guest, sitting next to Laura in the gallery. He came to US to study medicine, became an NBA star, and built hospitals in Africa. “We are proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United States of America.”
9:59 PM — Julie Aigner-Clark, Baby Einstein Company $20 million, sold to Walt Disney, $200 million business
10:00 PM — Wesley Autrey, NYC Subway Hero, “There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.” He gives Bush a “you the man!”, gets a hanshake from Laura Bush, Lynn Cheney, and a hug from Sgt. Rieman… and a standing ovation from everybody.
10:01 PM — Sergeant Tommy Rieman, Silver Star recipient. Bush is smiling for the first time all night.
10:02 PM — We see the spirit and character of America, a decent and honorable country — and resilient, too. “The State of our Union is strong, our cause in the world is right, and tonight that cause goes on.”
NBC Anchor Brian Williams tells us the speech was interrupted by applause 62 times. Here’s the link to the transcript of the speech.
NBC’s Tim Russert says that Bush was totally different this year: sober, somber, lacked enthusiasm in recognition of a divided government, it was insight into Bush’s mindset.
DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)
10:18 PM — Not enough time to rebut everything the President mentioned, but Democrats hope Bush is serious about fixing education, providing healthcare for all Americans, and restoring New Orleans.
10:19 PM — This is the 7th time in the SoTU the President has mentioned energy independence, but the first under Democratic majority who want freedom from foreign oil.
10:20 PM — Mentions two contradictions between parties: sharing wealth, and an Iraq conclusion while continuing to fight terrorism. The economy is two different worlds. It takes the average worker a year to make what their boss makes in one day. Wages are at all time lows, even though productivity is at its highest. “Middle class is losing its place at the table.”
10:22 PM — Discusses Andrew Jackson’s American style of democracy, to measure America’s success at its base, not at its top. Minimum wage increase, tone of cooperation and consensus, working to “get the right things done, for the right people, and for the right reasons.”
10:23 PM — “This country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years, unnecessary.
It leaves us strategically vulnerable. He shows a picture he has been carrying with him for 50 years of his father, reminds him of sacrifices we all have to make in a time on war.
10:24 PM — The tradition in this country is to fight for freedom and hope the President is right, making decision based on sound judgement, clear thinking, a concern for our welfare, and a guarantee that the threat is equal to the price we might be called upon to pay. Instead, Pres. Bush recklessly took us into war, disregarded advice from national security advisers, and now we are held hostage to the disarray that remains, including staggering war costs, a poor world view of us, and the cost of lives lost.
10:27 PM — “We need a new direction” and an immediate shift to regional diplomacy in Iraq that takes soldiers OFF the streets of Baghdad.
10:28 PM — Presudent Ted Roosevelt had to deal with robber-barons taking majority of the wealth, while workers wanted to revolt. And Roosevelt did something about it.
10:29 PM — President Dwight Eisenhower had to deal with the Korean War and famously asked, “When comes the end?”. And he did bring it to the end. This president should take similar action in both areas discussed tonight. If he does, we will support him. If he does not, we will show him the way.
An excellent speech by a fresh (in all senses of the word) face for the Democratic Response. Here’s the transcript of the speech.
Tim Russert: “He threw down the gauntlet” in such a tense and important time in Washington.
Senator Lindsey Graham: “If you really think war is a bad idea, then cut off funding.”
Senator Hillary Clinton: Its just more of the same. The Democrats goal is phased redeployment, while putting more pressure on the Iraqi government to take control of their country.
I’m surprised they weren’t able to snag Barrack Obama for his response. Although Brian Williams did mention something about equal time or something.
Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid issued releases in response.
In case you are curious and want to compare this year’s speech with the 2006 State of the Union, check out last year’s State of the Union Liveblogging at CityCynic.com.
Until next year, let’s all hope for the best. How much longer until 2008? Heh.
RELATED HEADLINES: CNN: Bush State of the Union: Work with me.
January 31, 2007 
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Two of my college friends, 
