Junto Boys

STATE OF THE UNION

For as much as I like politics, I usually tire with political speeches. Politicians usually say the expected things and the State of the Union is interrupted too many times for applause. After a short time the real education is not what the speaker says but who stands and who sits on their hands after they say it.

Ted Kennedy looked like he was sitting on a cactus. No one made him come. He could have spent the evening stumping for John Kerry in N.H.

Hillary Clinton looked like a jury member for the Salem Witch trials. Hillary's occasional clapping was so weak that I wondered if her hands could even feel one another. Personally, I would either clap like I meant it or sit on my hands. The half-assed clap looks like mockery, which may be fine when you?re a Kennedy and come from a state that will allow you to break Strom Thurmond's longevity record, but it doesn't look dignified for the 2008 frontrunner. I can't imagine Bush acting up from the audience during a Clinton speech.

I was happy to hear that Bush doesn't intend to offer amnesty for illegal aliens. It looks now that the rumor was floated in order to get more mainstream acceptance for his plan to register illegals and let them work with restrictions.

The other surprise was his call for sports owners to rid their leagues of steroids. I like the idea and the approach. As I said a few weeks ago, the Pete Rose situation is nonsense compared to the players that are cheating by using these substances. The beauty of baseball, at least, is that you can compare the accomplishments of old time players with new ones. The designer drugs are ruining the comparisons, because even players that don't use them are lumped into an era that certainly does. But I'm glad that Bush called on the owners to do something instead of mandating another government action.

On the negative, I don't see how Bush can limit the growth of government to 4%. He's bought into the Democrats idea that too many social problems have a government solution. The Republicans are afraid to articulate the reasons the Department of Education sucks money out of education instead of improving it. We need to have a real debate about government agencies and their worth.

Bush is a better speaker when he talks about the war and protecting this country. He wasn't bad last night when talking about other things either, but he's done poorly in enough impromptu speeches that his reputation is likely to hang on that.

I liken Bush's speechmaking and political career to that of baseball player Dave Winfield. Winfield mostly played basketball in college and never played baseball in the minor leagues so he had to work on his game at the Major League level. Winfield had tremendous talent and could produce better than average at the major league level, but still had holes in his game. Even in his 40s he was a sucker for the outside pitch. Bush is much the same way in speechmaking. He didn't have to spend years as a state legislator speaking before the Lions Club. He didn't have spend years in years in the Senate giving two hour speeches on a budget deal. I think that's really the difference. He has good political instincts, but he doesn't have the experience in delivery that Congressman tend to have. It works for Bush because it makes him seem more like a normal guy. It's also helps when dorky guys like Gore are sighing or invading his personal space.