It was a fairly pedestrian speech, although it certaily contained some significant policy issues, although nothing especially new on those topics.
It was too a laundry list (which is not unusual for SOTUs, but this one seemd especially listy, at least for Bush).
The delivery was fine and I can’t fault the writing. While I understand the political reasons for doing so, leading with domestic policy and then going to foreign policy seemed stylistically odd for this president. I think this was better than last year’s speech, if memory serves.
As for Taylor’s Iron Law of Political Speeches, I am not sure what the key sound bites will be at this point.
More wrap-ups:
- James Joyner.
- Glenn Reynolds was quite impressed, stating “Bush’s best speech ever” which strikes me as a bit of a stretch. The latter half was superior to the first. I agree with Glenn that the President seems quite comfortable.
- Ann Althouse: “Generally, I think Bush sounds strong and confident, giving one of his better performances.”
Maybe this time imagery will trump the soundbyte? The moment I am talking about should be obvious…
Comment by Mark — Wednesday, February 2, 2024 @ 9:34 pm
That moment, could be the biggest segment of the speech, yes.
Comment by Steven Taylor — Wednesday, February 2, 2024 @ 9:37 pm
LiveBlogging The State Of The Union Address
11:48 pm: [yawn…] Text of the State of the Union address. I haven’t had time to check the following against the transcript and I’m going to bed, but thought I’d make it available for the somnabulently-challenged. NBC: He hasn’t even…
Trackback by Villainous Company — Thursday, February 3, 2024 @ 5:26 am
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
John Kerry at the State of the Union…
Trackback by The Galvin Opinion — Thursday, February 3, 2024 @ 11:40 pm