A Return to the Good Old Days

I hadn’t intended to watch the State of the Union speech tonight, but my wife tuned in part way through. In contrast to his “surge” speech a week or two ago, I thought President Bush was back on his game tonight. The speech was a reminder that it’s a good thing to be President. When he offered a sentence about Iraq that ended with the word “victory,” the Democrats had no alternative but to stand up and cheer.
Apart from the ceremonial trappings, there was a good reason why so many Senators and Congressmen had to voice their approval: the President’s logic was compelling. The importance of Iraq; the disastrous consequences of failure; the grave long-term stakes in the Global War on Terror; and the need to give our new strategy a chance to succeed, are all hard to dissent from.
The President finished strong, with his introduction of a series of American heroes, the kind of thing he does best.
It was a good night for President Bush. Will it matter? I doubt that very many people who are on the fence were watching. But for the President’s long-term supporters and for all who are serious about winning the war that has been thrust upon us, it was an inspiring, confidence-renewing performance.
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