Several words could be used to describe President Bush's State of the Union speech last night. I think that the most accurate ones are "focused," "heartfelt," and "surprising."
Bush's speech was focused in several means. For example, he elaborated on Social Security for five full minutes, and was heckled by the left upon mentioning that Social Security will go bankrupt eventually. It's as if Ted Kennedy and his kin were in complete denial; I personally think that private accounts will serve as a good response to the pressing issues of earlier retirement and longer lives. We need to respond early to this problem.
Also, Bush concentrated on spreading freedom to other countries. Although some view forcing countries into changing their governments as an evil of overseas expansion, I believe that modern day examples, such as Iraq, are quite different because unlike say, Cuba, in the late 1800s/early 1900s, we won't place restrictions but give the fledgling democracy constructive and formative guidance during its earlier years. This is indeed an important distinction and frequently looked over by partisans firmly against the war in Iraq.
"Heartfelt" describes the speech, but more in comparison to other State of the Unions that I've heard before. President Bush truly, for lack of a better word, connected with the average American. In order to propose any agenda, this is a necessary step, and I believe Bush completed it last night. He seemed sincere and prepared.
"Surprising" applies for several reasons. First and foremost, that touching moment when the mother of the deceased soldier and a first-time Iraqi voter embraced. A surprise, but indeed an important moment. It invalidated many of the left's arguments that the Iraqis themselves despise the United States. Also, I found it surprising that he didn't discuss the topics of healthcare and conservative social values more. Mind you, I'm a social liberal and fiscal conservative; I just expected him to talk more about social values than he did.
Overall, a well-done speech that probably won many citizens to the President's side.
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