State of the Nation

The full video and full text of the President's State of the Nation address that he delivered tonight at the Capitol are available at the White House blog. For some reason, the video and audio don't begin until about the 2:40 mark. If you want to see just parts of it, go to the CNN website where the speech has been divided into segments.

A few observations of mine:

- Before the President entered the House chamber, he was preceeded by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Supreme Court, and the Cabinet. It was very touching to see how the members of the House and Senate cheered ailing Justice Ginsberg as she entered the chamber.

- Hillary, all pretty in pink, got to do a bit of a star turn when she came down the aisle, receiving some cheers herself, and seemed to be in full-throttle campaign mode once again, meeting and greeting.

- The First Lady got a big ovation when she entered the gallery, even though her entrance was not announced by the Speaker. She didn't bring the girls with her; no doubt they were watching it on TV at home with grandma.

- Every time the camera showed John McCain, his expression seemed to be "this just totally bites my ass big time." Too bad, John.

- The President was given a tumultuous welcome when he arrived, which was only to be expected. I thought there was really a bit too much crowding and jostling, with cameramen in the thick of it, snapping pictures only inches away from the President. It seemed more like a barn dance than a state occasion; and after all was said and done, Congressmen and -women delayed the President's exit from the House by at least 15 minutes, asking him to autograph their programs. Please, save that for the Academy Awards, people.

- No mention of teh gayz; but the President was at his inspiring, fire-em-up best, full of energy and elegance, hope and optimism. In other words, a real leader, a real President - not just a sham one.

- Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave the Republican response to the President's remarks afterwards. I'd never heard him talk before, and he is a good speaker. But he also seemed to have just arrived from another planet far, far away, without having heard a single word the President had said; and Jindal seemed to think the same tired old Republican platitudes about small government and more tax cuts were bright ideas - instead of just wildly absurd, given where the country is right now, and all we've been through. I thought the Mississippi River ran through Louisiana, not de Nile, but guess I was wrong.

Some of my favorite lines from the President's address:

While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:

We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. . . .

We have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.

Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.

Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. . . .

Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. . . .

I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. . . .

I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. . . .

We will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. . . .

In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way. . . .

And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. . . .

As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned. . . .

To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture. . . .

As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us – watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead.

Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege – one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans. For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill. . . .

I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we
performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, "something worthy to be remembered." Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.