Liveblogging the State of the Union
(Because it's tradition around these parts.)

9:01: On PBS, Ruth Marcus is metaphorizing. The primaries are a "reality show," and people keep getting "voted off the island." ... Where the hell is Mark Shields when you need him?

9:02: Ted Kennedy is looking sharp.

9:03: "The President has left the holding room," says Jim Lehrer.

9:04: Blue tie.

9:06: I love when Members of Congress ask the President for his autograph. Stay classy, guys!

9:06: That was just about the saddest thing I've ever seen at a State of the Union. The President reached out to rub some Congressman's bald head (I'm pretty sure it was Louie Gohmert), but the guy thought he was getting a hug, so he leaned forward and kind of half-hugged the President's midriff for a few seconds, while the President patted him awkwardly on the head.

9:09: That was an awful lot of applause considering that all he's done so far is walk in the door.

9:13: The camera just caught Charlie Rangel scoffing. Good timing, PBS director!

9:15: We're six minutes in and already on our third standing ovation (this time in response to Bush's promise to veto any bill that raises taxes). This is going to be a long night.

9:18: Hillary's pissed that Bush is trying to steal her health-care thunder. Meanwhile, Obama and Ted Kennedy are chatting. Also: want to make Congressional Republicans cheer like they're at a football game? Mention the need for a robust privatized health care industry.

9:20: "Six years ago, we came together to pass the No Child Left Behind Act. And today, no one can deny its results." Can't argue with that.

9:21: Kennedy is reading studiously. It's a good thing someone gave him a copy of the speech, or he'd clearly be scrolling through email on his Blackberry right now.

9:24: One unidentified Republican stood up to applaud for the inherent greatness of "products that say 'Made in the U.S.A.'" Way to march to the beat of your own drummer, buddy.

9:26: First use of "nuculer." Rangel laughs openly.

9:27: "Let us complete an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and reverse the growth of greenhouse gases." That's pretty rich.

9:28: Stephen Breyer seems to have chosen to wear knickerbockers under his robe.

9:30: Bush's judicial nominees will "rule by the letter of the law, not the whim of the gavel." [Cite]

9:31: "Tonight, the armies of compassion continue the march to a new day in the Gulf Coast." Did he write this thing himself?

9:36: That was quite a list of terror attacks he had there, wasn't it? He's like a walking, talking Wikipedia.

9:40: Some Air Force guy in the audience was about 40% asleep, but seemed to realize at the last minute that he was on camera. D'oh!

9:42: Is it just me, or is Pelosi crying?

9:43: There's something seriously perverse about citing an Osama bin Laden propaganda video to support the assertion that The Surge Is Working.

9:46: I'm running pretty low on patience, here. Be more faster!

9:49: I think the entire "Iraqi government is making progress" section was actually just lifted, en masse, from last year's speech.

9:56: "America opposes genocide in Sudan." Oh. Well, good.

10:02: "So long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure, and the state of our union will remain strong." Woohoo!

10:03: I guess you have to respect the man for his willingness to end the speech with jazz hands.

And that's that.

I can't wait until we have an articulate president, so these things aren't so intolerable every year.

[10:05: As Bush walks out, some woman I don't recognize asks for his autograph and says, I swear to God, "You make me proud to be an American." Whoever she is, I sure hope she was being sarcastic.] (Update: It was Cathy McMorris-Rodgers. And no, she was not being sarcastic.)

A quick thought on the Democratic response

Overall, I was impressed with Jim Webb (though did anyone else get the impression that he was trying not to laugh during the Teddy Roosevelt story?), and I'm enjoying this trend of Virginians giving the annual Democratic rebuttal (next year, if there's a god, it'll be Larry Sabato). But I have to admit that I wasn't particularly moved by what Webb said. Perhaps it was his delivery, but the speech - short though it was - seemed to lack any sort of thematic development. To an extent, that's just the nature of this kind of speech, but all the same, it left me cold. Until the ending, that is: "If [the President] does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way." Booya!

Liveblogging the State of the Union!
(Because that's the kind of thoughtful and original content my regular readers have come to expect.)

8:56: Blogger's down. Not a good sign.

8:57: The joint session's been called to order. Goosebumps.

9:01: Mrs. President is wearing red. That's one wrong, and we haven't even started yet.

9:03: The cabinet enters, and Cheney's looking particularly surly. I'll bet he resents all the press that Elaine Chao gets.

9:05: An overhead shot of the crowd reveals one startlingly purple woman. No word yet on who it is, but I hope it's one of the "Crayola Five."

9:07: Blogger is still down. This could be a serious impediment to the whole "liveblogging" thing.

9:09: Finally, we have a president. Joe Lieberman is hiding in a corner somewhere.

9:12: There's a shiny purple girl in the First Lady's box. Last-minute odds on why she's there: lost a family member in Iraq, 3/2; saved a baby, 4/1; saved a baby in Iraq, 6/1.

9:13: And finally, we have a speech.

9:15: Bush "congratulates" the Democratic majority. Crowd shots show Ted Kennedy and Rahm Emmanuel clapping, Steny Hoyer nodding stoically, and James Clyburn not paying the slightest bit of attention.

9:16: Mitch McConnell claps like a stroke victim.

9:16: "Our citizens don't much care which side of the aisle we sit on, as long as we're willing to cross that aisle when there's work to be done." I humbly dissent.

9:18: The three priorities. Priority 1: Balance the budget (standing ovation 1), without raising taxes (standing ovation 2); the budget request will "eliminate the deficit within 5 years." "Together we can restrain the spending appetite of the federal government." Scoff.

9:20: The three priorities. Priority 2: Expose every earmark to "the light of day." (They're often added "when not even C-SPAN is watching." Hey-oh!)

9:20: The startlingly purple woman from 9:05 is revealed! And alas, she is Diana DeGette; not one of the Crayola Five at all.

9:20: The three priorities. Priority 3: "Fix Medicare and Medicaid, and save Social Security." Why not fix all three? Couldn't tell you.

9:21: Thank God for DVR, by the way. I'm about ten minutes behind real-time already.

9:22: "The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children, and I ask Congress to re-authorize this good law." Not even Howdy Doody can generate any enthusiasm for that one.

9:26: "Medical liability reform" gets a standing ovation from the Elephants.

9:30: "It's in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply."

9:32: This whole energy policy section is somewhat surreal.

9:33: Climate change is a "serious challenge." That brings the whole bloody room to its feet (notably Steny Hoyer, who appeared to be trying to clap as hard as he could).

9:34: First explicit mention of September 11.

9:35: "We must take the fight to the enemy" gets a standing ovation from a bunch of Democats. That was unexpected.

9:40: "Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies." Alright, fine. Then explain Ann Coulter.

9:45: Nothing funny to say, really, but it's been a while, so I thought I should post something.

9:50: "We went into this largely united... and whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure." No kidding.

9:51: The president would like to establish a "Special Advisory Council on the War on Terror." Because ignoring the current crop of advisory councils has become blase.

9:51: He also proposes the establishment of a "Volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps," which will "assemble civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them." Which is funny, because Saturday Night Live proposed that very same thing about a week and a half ago.

9:54: "We will continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur." An awfully liberal use of the phrase "continue to," that.

9:55: Debbie Wasserman Schultz is standing next to a guy a don't really recognize, and I swear to God it looks like they're participating in Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

9:57: Special Guest #1: Dikembe Motombo. (Motombo's sitting next to Laura Bush, and when they're both sitting down, he's at most six inches taller than she is. Seriously, how is that possible? Is he sitting on the floor?)

9:58: Special Guest #2: The Woman Who Founded the Baby Einstein Company. (Huh?) (Incidentally, the shiny purple girl from 9:12 is her daughter.)

9:59: Special Guest #3: That guy from New York who jumped onto the subway tracks to save the guy having the heart attack. Alright, fair enough. But they seem to have made him sit in his own little section.

10:00: Special Guest #4: Some Silver Star winner.

10:01: This is a long damn speech, but...

10:02: The state of our union is strong!

I thought he'd never get there.

Overall, I was more impressed with Bush's delivery than I have been in years past, but I was left completely cold by the rhetoric. Perhaps that's because I was focusing on the blog, but I don't think so; I think it just wasn't a very well-written speech. Which is a shame.