Bush SOTU - Down Looks Like Up

[kentuck]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/bush-sotu-down-looks-li_b_39448.html

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What was noteworthy about this state-of-the-union was Bush's grim, defensive demeanor and the paucity of ideas; an indication the conservative express has run out of steam and intends to coast to the end of Bush's term. What happened to the aggressive Administration that a few years ago trumpeted the rise of American Empire and deluged Congress with conservative legislation? It's been halted by a sober reality: the American people no longer trust George Bush.

The President Bush is not a compelling orator. Nonetheless, his previous state-of-the-union addresses produced memorable moments: in 2001, Bush declared his number one priority was education and for an instant, Americans believed Bush would govern from the center, rather than from the far right. 2002 featured the "axis of evil" phrase, where the President informed the nation the real focus of his "war on terror" was not Al Qaeda but rather "regimes that sponsor terror:" Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. The third and fourth state-of-the-union addresses were robust defenses of the Bush occupation of Iraq; glib assurances progress was being made and Iraqi democracy just around the corner. The last two addresses sought to shift focus away from Iraq: in 2005, President Bush, eager to spend the "capital" he boasted of accumulating from his November reelection, announced his plan to reform social security. And, in his sixth address, Bush took aim at immigration.

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While there are several explanations for the devolution of Bush's State-of-the-Union address, the most likely one is that the President's handlers recognize he has spent his political capital and, therefore, will have little impact on legislation passed by the 110th Congress, other than his veto. George Bush has become a lame-duck President. Not because Democrats won control of Congress last November 7th, but rather due to the fact that over the past twelve months Dubya lost the confidence of the American people.

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What most of us understand, although Cannon doesn't say, is that when a politician loses his reputation as a truth teller, he doesn't recover. Bush will stagger through the remainder of his term and have minimal affect on policy, because Americans see him as a failed leader. This accounts for the President's somber tone in his State-of-the-Union address: He's down so low, down looks like up.

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