His theme: "A Hopeful Society." [Hey it's better than a chocolate
society or a fearful society.]
Overall it was a pretty vanilla speech for a President with a 42%
approval rating.
He defended his policies and performance. He continued to promote
agressive, forceful democracy building as foreign policy. He defended
domestic surveillance methods as necessary. He named terrorism, Iran
and
Hamas as the enemy. He remained optimistic about the economy and named
China and India as competitors. He promoted energy alternatives to oil
including nuclear. He promoted the same old programs he has put in
place over
the past few years: research, tax breaks, Patriot Act, No Child Left
Behind and
mentioned Social Security reform.
Near his conclusion he made a few comments about Katrina and rebuilding New Orleans:
"A hopeful society comes to the aid of fellow citizens in times of
suffering and emergency -- and stays at it until they're back on their
feet. So far the federal government has committed $85 billion to the
people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. We're removing debris and
repairing highways and rebuilding stronger levees. We're providing
business loans and housing assistance. Yet as we meet these immediate
needs, we must also address deeper challenges that existed before the
storm arrived.
In New Orleans and in other places, many
of our fellow citizens have felt excluded from the promise of our
country. The answer is not only temporary relief, but schools that
teach every child, and job skills that bring upward mobility, and more
opportunities to own a home and start a business. As we recover from a
disaster, let us also work for the day when all Americans are protected
by justice, equal in hope, and rich in opportunity. "
The Democratic rebuttal was delivered in English by Tim Kaine, the new Governor of
Virginia. Once you could get past his eybrows it was pretty interesting stuff:
His message was that the goals outlined by the administration are
worthy its just the performance that is lacking. He mentioned budgets,
education, health care, the war on terror, and energy. He described the
administration's failings and the democratic alternative. Interesting
reading. (Was the same message delivered in the Hispanic version?)