I guess I should have watched our Presidents speech this week, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Perhaps the State of the Union Speech was ruined for me by George W’s speaking style, but I really think I just don’t have the tolerance to listen to the political rhetoric for an hour anymore.
In looking at the summaries in the newspapers the next day he apparently did his typical good job reading from the teleprompters and set some kind of tone for working with the new Congress, but from what I gather he is not going to take a leadership role on finding ways to cut the bloat from government or slow the deficit. In attempting to set the tone for the next year I wonder what message most of us were to take from his speech.
Unfortunately, what I usually take from these grand visions is a real sense of foolishness. It is much easier to say what we all should do in a perfect world than it is to actually do something to make the world a little more perfect. For example, I am reading a humorous book Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages written by Leland Gregory. In the book there is a story of another president whose staff, in the quest for a photo op to make his point showed the arrogance of the White House.
“During a trip to Costa Rica in the spring of 1996, President Bill Clinton stopped off at the Braulio Carrillo National Park – a government-protected rain forest – to give a speech about environmental protection and preservation. His address included the line ‘We destroy these resources at our peril.’ Too bad Bill’s staff didn’t agree. Clinton’s people thought the speaking platform was too far from the road, especially since the president was on crutches at the time. They decided to bulldoze, level and asphalt a 350-foot path for him – right through the rain forest.”
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think every politician is arrogant or strictly in it for the money. For example, take my representative Mr. Jeff Miller, R-FL district 1. I have flown on the same aircraft he was on at least three times. On each of those occasions I found him sitting quietly in the coach section doing his reading. I appreciate that. I find that link to the average person a good model for our representatives and an appropriate use of our tax dollars. I wonder if that holds true for the rest?
As for President Obama, now as the world swirls around him, it will be interesting to see what kind of tenor he will set as he attempts to address what is happening to those Arab countries whose leadership has aligned with us?
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