I was listening to the post State of the Union commentary on CBS hoping to get the distaste of Duhbya’s speech out of my head, but instead tuned it out after one of the talking heads issued a different take on a key moment during the proceedings.
For me, the highlight of the hour-long remarks came when Bush made the reprimanding statement to the legislators along the lines of “you didn’t pass my social security package last year,” to which the democrats suddenly and unexpectedly launched to their feet in a loud standing ovation.
I’ll admit it: I giggled with glee at the slap. I giggled even more gleefully when Bush pursed up his lips in discontent, and then shot back with a moderately petulant “well you’ll be sorry now that we got all these babyboomers busting into retirement, huh?”
As if his “reform” package was the answer. Pffft.
But then along had to come CBS’ Washington correspindent ™ afterward and twirl the little victory away from me with some fishing analogy along the lines of Duhbya casting out the Social Security reference as bait that the big dumb democratic fishies swallowed hook, line and sinker for Bush to then reel them in with a call for unity.
Nice try whoever the hell you were. Some of us saw it as Duhbya throwing a stick of dynamite into the water too close to the boat and then getting soaked in the sploosh. The look on his face at the rebuke wasn’t of some bass fisherman’s wide-eyed pride at setting the hook. It was more like the look Quint had on his mug as the shark from Jaws gobbled him up.
Anyway, enough with the fish. The speech wasn’t long in getting back on track. He ended a few more sentences with “freedom,” the worn-out queue for everyone to applaud, tied the “you’re still either with me or against me” subtext up with an all-too-scripted and insincere call for bipartisanship, and winked and nodded at either freshly minted Justice Alito or his wife or a fuming Sen. Clinton enough times during all the clapping to make me gag.
All in though, I’d rank it as perhaps the second best speech of his Duhbya-ship, behind the one he read to Congress after Sept. 11. If nothing else, he didn’t say “noo-kya-lur” once. That alone makes it a success.
Follow