The state of our union is...

Well... strong (do they ever say anything else?), but it took the Prez almost the entire speech before he worked up the nerve to put that one out there. If you're like me, and skipped the live broadcast, you can catch up with this NYTimes transcript, which also has helpful links to other articles and background information on what the President has promised in past speeches or previous agenda items. Or go here for the Cliffs Notes version.

It seemed pretty obvious that this was a different President than the one who's addressed the Congress the past 6 years. I think we've finally broken his spirit. (Heh.) He seems to have grasped the fact that most people don't like him or his policies, the country is looking for a new direction, and everything he's worked on has either failed or is a disaster. Okay, maybe he hasn't figured out all of that, but at least he knows he has to be nicer to Democrats now.

As he usually does in the State of the Union, he called for bipartisanship and proposed several things to get the Dems on their feet applauding. However, unlike previous years, I don't think he can just disregard all of it and do what he wants when it comes to actually putting the agenda through. There was also a significant lack of huge, disastrous conservative ideas, like overhauling Social Security or No Child Left Behind or banning gay marriage.

The bulk of the speech was, of course, dedicated to terrorism and the situation in Iraq - about both of which there are few positive things to say. He sounded mildly less delusional than he has in the past, and fortunately, didn't provoke war (or throw out "fightin' words") with any new countries.

If you're curious about how the speech was received, this article seems obsessed with who clapped when, who stood up, who was sleeping, etc.

A few odd things I feel compelled to point out... that guy who saved the man's life on the train tracks? What the hell was that? That guy was milking it. Okay, I get that you're a hero, but you're not Elvis. There is no need to be blowing kisses to the audience when the Prez introduces you. What happened to a polite smile, nod of acknowledgment, maybe a little wave? Seriously, the guy practically did an endzone dance.

Also, is it just me, or is it a little tacky for the President to be signing autographs as he walks out? I don't remember that ever happening before (or maybe I just never made it through the end of the speech before) but it seemed wildly inappropriate. Although, my mother tells me that those are the most coveted seats, and Congressmen send their interns down as early as NOON to save seats (side note - what a crappy internship), so maybe they're expecting autographs. Hand-shaking I could understand, but the autograph thing is a bit much.

And finally, the Democratic response. Jim Webb? Seriously? That's the best face of the Democratic Party? I can understand needing to find someone neutral, since everyone else is running for President, and you can't give one a platform over all the others (that's what the spin room interviews are for), but they really should have picked someone who a.) was more well-known, and b.) had a more dynamic personality. I understand the whole war connections reasoning, but still... I'm sure he's not the only one who's fought in a war or has relatives in Iraq. I thought the actual text of the response was pretty good, though.