State of the Union: Long on Long, Short on Lofty
By Tom Shales
Wednesday, January 21, 2004; Page C01
We like a confident president, but we don't like a cocky president, and George W.
Bush had too many moments of cockiness last night as he delivered his third State of
the Union address to both houses of Congress and the viewing nation. Often the
words of the speech were written to sound lofty, but Bush had such a big
Christmas-morning grin on his face that they came out sounding like taunts -- taunts to
the rest of the world or taunts to Democrats in the hall.
The dividing line between the parties has rarely appeared
so graphic. Republicans on one side of the House
chamber couldn't scramble to their feet fast enough to
give Bush his obligatory standing ovations. He probably
would have gotten one if he'd sneezed. Democrats,
meanwhile, sat their ground. They rose for some of
Bush's sentiments, as when praising America's military
forces, but they weren't on their feet when Bush called
for making last year's tax cuts permanent.
And the split was even more dramatic when Bush called
for renewing his controversial Patriot Act, a piece of
emergency legislation that has had the effect of trampling
civil rights into mush. In fact, Bush got applause he didn't
want when he introduced the subject by saying certain
provisions of the Patriot Act would end next year. Yes,
some people, presumably Democrats, heartily applauded
that.
The speech was pretty much so-so, and Bush's gung-ho
delivery -- something approaching the forced jollity of a
game show host -- lacked dignity and certainly lacked
graciousness. Bush has never been big on those things
anyway.
Dan Rather of CBS News, who sometimes goes out of
his way not to upset the Bush people -- since they are all
ready to pounce on him for what they perceive (or claim
to perceive) as a bias against their exalted glorious
potentate -- said afterward that Bush's was "a strong
speech, strongly delivered." It was one of the few times
Rather sounded less than astute.
Over on the Fox News Channel, Fred Barnes, sounding as if he had walking
pneumonia, allowed as how he'd heard George W. Bush deliver many an important
and eloquent speech over the years, "and this was not one of them." It takes courage
to say something like that on the Fox News Channel, normally a Bush cheering
section. Someone noted that Bush is considered a master of the half-hour speech and
State of the Union 2004 had dragged on for twice that length.
Actually, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, before the speech began, quoted sources as saying it
was a 40-minute speech if no one interrupted it for applause (fat chance of that) and
60 minutes if Bush got the usual perfunctory but time-killing cheers and claps. Bush
started speaking at 9:11 p.m. and said his customary "May God continue to bless
America" at 10:05. He's getting into Clintonian territory, and are there any Americans
who want to go back to those marathon speeches Clinton used to give, regardless of
how they feel about his presidency and his policies and his pigs-in-a-poke?
The best reaction shots were those of Ted Kennedy, whose stature seems to grow
right along with his nose year after year after year. Kennedy has now reached a grand
moment in the life of a senator; he looks like Hollywood itself cast him in the role.
Seriously. With that waving mane of bright white hair, he evokes memories of Claude
Rains looking distinguished as all get-out in Frank Capra's once- controversial,
now-classic movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Never mind that the senator
played by Rains had some shady dealings in his repertoire.
Kennedy looked great, like he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on
Mount Rushmore. He gives off the kind of venerable vibes that some of us got from
an Everett Dirksen way back when, or a Charles Laughton -- oh wait, Laughton was
a make-believe senator, too (in "Advise and Consent").
Bush's speech was on the perfunctory side with the by-now- predictable list of
oratorical ingredients. There has to be a guest star in the audience, a tradition begun
grandly by the great communicator Ronald Reagan. And so Bush had, among others
in the audience, representatives of U.S. troops plus Adnan Pachachi, president of the
Iraqi Governing Council, who got that prime gallery seat right next to Laura Bush,
who was looking slightly hypnotized as usual.
Among other things proved by the U.S. incursion into Iraq and the capture of
Saddam Hussein in his spider-hole, Bush said, was that "No one can ever doubt the
word of America," a platitude for which he was rewarded with yet another standing
ovation.
CNN looked smart before the speech by spreading its anchors around to the most
recognizable spots in the capital: Paula Zahn had the U.S. Capitol over one shoulder;
Blitzer lucked out by being stationed indoors, in Statuary Hall; and Aaron Brown was
perched so that the White House was in the shot behind him.
Anderson Cooper did his "360" show from George Washington University and so
was not directly involved in the speech coverage.
Tom Brokaw of NBC News and Peter Jennings of ABC News were both on duty.
One of the bigger surprises of the night was instantly evident, even as Bush made his
tedious way down an aisle before delivering the speech. Though he's favored blue ties
(sometimes baby blue) throughout his presidency, Bush wore a red necktie last night.
Could this signify a change in terrorism alert status? Or maybe just the fact that Bush
is now in full ramming mode, not merely a president but a politician again, up to his
collar in the rigors of an election year?
It was obviously the latter, and the fact that Bush appeared to be so happy, so elated,
so giddily primed for another political slugfest was a little bit disheartening, and even a
little bit scary.
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