Reaction: State of the Union Address

As it is tradition and law, President Bush gave the American public the state of the union before a joint session of Congress. This was Bush’s sixth state of the union address, but his first before a Congress dominated by Democrats. Also for the first time in our nation’s history, the president began his speech with the words, “madam speaker.” Bush spelled out four major points throughout the speech, none of which seem feasible, especially in concern to the operations occurring in Iraq. But he did spell out both a foreign and domestic policy for the next year; a vital year for the president. If Bush is unable to shore up the operations going on in Iraq and follow through on his domestic agenda, he will be spending the last year of his term as a “lame duck.”

The president spelled out a long term plan to reduce our dependence on oil by 20% over the next ten years. He also called for the production of 35 billion gallons of renewable energy sources (ethanol) by 2017 to help cut down on global warming and our dependence on oil from abroad. In theory, this new plan would take roughly 26 million cars off of the road and reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil imports by three-quarters. This new initiative sounds admirable from the president’s mouth, but in theory it will never work. Cranking up the fuel mileage required per company is not going to happen in the foreseeable future, as the American consumer is tentative and the major manufacturers are not going to spend their marginal profits (at best) to develop new vehicles to use alternative fuel sources.

Finally, the president met with silence when he discussed his latest strategy for dealing with Iraq. The past few years he has been met with great applause from the GOP side of the aisle. But this latest escalation has created many doubters in both GOP and Democratic ranks. He essentially begged Congress and the American people to give his latest plan a chance to succeed or the whole Middle East will go to hell in a hand basket. The brightest idea of the night was the potential creation of a Civilian Reserve Corp., or what would best be described as an American mercenary force not under the direct control of the military. He ended his Iraq tirade by giving the Iraqi government an ultimatum of shoring up security, as this U.S. assistance is not an open ended commitment.

In the domestic arena the president proposed more far fetched ideas that will take a complete miracle to work the way in which he envisions. The health care system needs reform; there is no doubt about that. 47 million Americans live without health insurance, which is indeed a big problem. His plan is to turn taxable income into health benefits, but there is no chance that this policy would extend coverage to the countless Americans that need health insurance. Their income is low enough, hence the reason why they cannot afford health insurance. A tax break will not generate enough money to provide adequate insurance premiums and even raise taxes for many more Americans. He even touted his no child left behind agenda…what a success! His approval numbers are the lowest of any president in the past fifty years; this speech is a snapshot of why.

Will the Real Nominees Step Forward

For the first time in over a half century the American public will not be voting for an incumbent president or vice presidential candidate. The presidential field is wide open for 2008, which signals the changing of the guard in Washington, which many would agree is a much needed change. The list of candidates for the GOP and the Democrats is expanding by the week, which will make for a fierce and highly contested primary season. We are too early into the process, but the front runners for each party will have to distinguish themselves and run away from the pack by late in the year. Undoubtedly, the campaign for the general election will be intense, but the fight for party nomination has already taken on a life of its own, which calls for concern when the primary campaigns kick into full swing.

The first punch was thrown recently by Senator Hillary Clinton (D- NY) towards her chief challenger in the Democratic Party, Barack Obama (D- IL). Clinton’s people dug up some dirt on Obama, which alleged that he had attended a fundamentalist (radical) Muslim school while living in Indonesia from 1967-1971. Originally reported by Insight Magazine, the article caused a stir in the corridors of Washington. But the article was debunked by CNN, which looked into the report and clarified that Obama had never attended such a school during his time in Indonesia. Insight’s editors stated that they had received the information from someone on Sen. Clinton’s staff. Clinton called the reports “a right-wing hit job.” This claim may or may not be true, but it signifies how intense this election is to become.

Clinton is the front runner in the race thus far, with 50% of potential Democratic voters stating that they view her in a favorable light. Obama is second with just around a 24% favorable rating. Clinton officially declared her candidacy last week, which signifies how important it is to declare candidacy early and the effect that such a statement of intent has on potential voters. Obama has yet to officially declare his candidacy, but it is extremely likely that Obama will officially enter the race at anytime. On the GOP side of the coin, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads Arizona Senator John McCain by a 28% to 20% margin of potential GOP voters. The onslaught has already begun on the GOP side as well, with negative ads connecting McCain to President Bush’s plan to escalate troop numbers.

Riding the president’s “coattails” this election season will not be a favorable action by any potential GOP candidate. Bush’s approval ratings are dismal, as only 38% of Americans believe that Bush is doing a decent job in the White House (out of 1500 voters). With an essential lame duck president who has minimal political capital as your party’s leader, the GOP is in serious contention to cede power to the Democrats on the executive level. The reactionary response by voters during the 2006 midterms signals that if the status quo does not improve under the guise of Bush, the GOP may very well be at a disadvantage from the get go. GOP leaders in the Senate are attempting to resurrect their party’s stature by proposing a resolution disagreeing with Bush’s policy of sending more troops to Iraq. I am sure that will get the point across to the president; just like the opinion of American public.

Super Sunday Here We Come!

It is official; the Bears are not as inept as the “experts” would have us believe. The Bears defeated the Saints 39-14, in what can only be described as a one sided game on Sunday. Rex Grossman played a solid game, even though his accuracy was not exactly dead on (he admitted to it after the game). Thomas Jones carried to offense with two scores and 123 yards rushing (the man runs angry). Oddly enough, it was not the offense that won the game though. The “Monsters of the Midway” returned to early season form by pressuring Drew Breeze throughout the game and the secondary managed to rangle in the speedy New Orleans recievers. A game that was suppose to be one sided ended up being one sided indeed, but in favor of the Bears. Shocking, isn’t it ESPN?

The Bears will face off against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI (41) in two weeks. The Colts defeated the daunting New England Patriots in what can only be described as a game for the ages. After falling down by as much as 21-3 in the first half, the Colts led by Peyton Manning tore back into the game, with power running, staunch defense, and of course, Peyton Manning’s arm. Tom Brady just about rose to the occasion again. But an interception with 30 seconds left in the game sealed the Patriot’s fate (finally). Even though I was off by 10 points in my prediction, the Colts won the game 38-34. Surprisingly enough, my prediction for the Bears game was spot on, but slightly off of course. If I was a betting man, I would be rich. But sadly I am not a betting man.

The Colts are already a 7 point favorite in the Super Bowl, which does not surprise me. Even though the Bears did win one more game in the regualar season. I guess this “under dog status” can be attributed to the AFC’s dominance in the big game, as AFC teams have won seven of the last nine Super Bowls. Needless to say I believe the Bears will be a formitable challenge for the Colts and their sky high offense. If the Bears defense makes another showing like they did on Sunday, I believe that Lovie Smith will become the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl. Either way an African American coach will finally win a Super Bowl, as Tony Dungy is also African American. It is indeed a monumental step in the NFL and society that two coaches from a race that have never won a Super Bowl will simeltaneously be competing for the honor. I guess it is a win-win situation for once.