Meh

It's yet another rainy day here in Space City. I am feeling the doom and gloom.

The husband left this morning to head out to the office. He's flying over to Odessa with the manager of Engineers and the president/owner of the company. Do not ask me what my husband does for a living. I never, in our almost 24 years married to each other, really have figured out what it is. His job now is as project engineering management of building oil drilling rigs. I don't know.

Did I mention he's flying on the company plane? The company's pilot is at the helm. I don't know if the three of them are flying back today or not. Apparently it's about a 2 hour flight so, technically, he could be home for dinner tonight.

Did you watch the State of the Union Address? No? Well, you didn't miss much. I watched but didn't expect much. I wasn't disappointed. I saw a president speaking to a hostile audience. I saw the president congratulate the new democrat majority. I saw a president speak of the honor of being the first president to utter the words, 'Madame Speaker'. I saw this madame speaker blink excessively and move her mouth around in odd ways. I saw a vice president look as if he was alternating between bored out of his mind and the occasional grin.

I heard the usual crap about bi-partisanship. I saw members on the left pulling a groin muscle trying to shake the hand of the president as he filed in and out as if they were his best friend. The president is the same guy they have called every name in the book and accused of conspiracy theories and grand imperial plans, yet there they are, for the face time on camera with the president and back slapping and aw shucking with him.

I saw a segment of the democrats remaining on their asses as the president talked of the American desire for victory in Iraq. Pelosi stood. Reid stood. Not so for Obama, Kennedy, and their ilk. There's your support of the troops.

I heard the new proposals for energy and health insurance and social security reform. All of these proposals were dismissed out of hand by the different democrat committee chairs before the speech was even made. The proposals will not even be brought to the committees. Bi-partisan enough for you?

I was heartened, as I always am, by the heroes mentioned in the speech and acknowledged in the First Lady's box. All worthy of the attention. There was even a Houston Rockets member there. He is a naturalized citizen from Africa. He has built a hospital in his former town and continues each year to have fundraisers to support the hospital.

I heard the rebuttal given by Senator Webb. Same old, same old. And from such a newcomer. He's tough. He'll bully the president for you, don't you worry your pretty little head. We should leave Iraq right this minute, but he doesn't think we should have a precipitous withdrawal. Ok then. Bush and Cheney bad. Webb tough.

Am I the only one who enjoys the irony of the fact that Webb sits on the Senate armed services committee with John Warner? Both were Republican Secretaries of the Navy. Webb, however, was fired by Reagan after only seven months on the job.

The president asked for the new direction of policy in Iraq to be given a chance with Lt. Gen David Petraeus in charge. Fat chance. We'll just watch as the funding is cut, as the Republican party implodes, as the troops are brought home and the area blows up and the terrorists outlast whatever shred of resolve the American people have for fighting to stay safe at home. We'll just accept the lies of Hillary that we were all so safe and happy under Bill and her, the lies Webb says that the majority of the military no longer supports the war effort, the lies of Richardson that the economy is struggling. We won't ask any questions to the validity of these claims.

We'll just go back to sticking our heads in the ground. We'll forget our foreign policy troubles. We'll concentrate on domestic responsibilities, the nanny state Hillary desires. Your taxes will be raised. We'll go back to calling anyone who makes over $30,000 a year, 'rich', to justify the tax burdens.

Small ideas, small policies, small people.

Clinton's legacy? He made a deal and got his wife a Senate seat. It wasn't welfare reform, that was only after 2 vetoes and the Republican majority finally demanded it strongly enough that the public noticed. It wasn't the balanced budget. That was only after, again, the Republicans demanded it and the voters noticed. Oh, wait, it might be the v-chips for the tv sets. No. That was Gore's big idea.

This president tried a big idea about a free middle east. It was all brought on him by the events of 9/11. How thick do you have to be not to get it by now? Get over the Bush hatred. Times are tough. Let's pull together and get the war finished. The domestic landscape is good. Our economy is the strongest in decades, whether you want to acknowledge that or not. This time when Carville and Begala run the Hillary presidential campaign, the slogan will have to be something other than 'it's the economy, stupid'. Lot's of things could use work. That's always how it is.

My prediction for the next two years?

Meh.