The Oil Drum

9:24 "With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor." (the irony drips, on today, the start of the Enron trials, the furor over FISA, Rove's role in Plamegate, etc...Again, I remind you that my opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the editors and participants of TOD)

9:30 "Saudi Arabia has taken the first steps of reform - now it can offer its people a better future by pressing forward with those efforts. Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens." (what, exactly, does that mean? Universal health care? Education for everyone? Maybe we Americans should reflect on our own "traditions". Sorry, that was a cheap one. We have no idea what a "democratic" Saudi Arabia would look like.)

9:35 "Previous presidents have used the same constitutional authority I have - and Federal courts have approved the use of that authority." (That's exactly the point! It's absolutely essential to our right to privacy that Federal courts approve the wiretap requests every time.)

9:37 "Our economy is healthy, and vigorous" (Really? 'Cuz that's not exactly what we reported the other day.)

9:39 "In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India." and "We hear claims that immigrants are somehow bad for the economy - even though this economy could not function without them." (True enough. I like to hear some reality interspersed in the SotU from time to time.)

9:41 "Every year of my presidency, we have reduced the growth of non-security discretionary spending" (who wants to get on how much security spending has exploded in the past 6 years? And how security spending has way overtaken the cuts in so-called discretionary spending?)

9:42 "This year, the first of about 78 million Baby Boomers turn 60, including two of my Dad's favorite people - me, and President Bill Clinton." (Hey guys! The joke! Did you laugh?)

9:44 "Keeping America competitive requires us to open more markets for all that Americans make and grow. One out of every five factory jobs in America is related to global trade, and we want people everywhere to buy American." (Oh my. Or is he including all of those factories that Dell and Nike open in other countries as "American factory jobs"?)

9:48 Here we go! Wheeee! "So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative - a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants; revolutionary solar and wind technologies; and clean, safe nuclear energy." (And another chance to say "nucular"! No, but seriously. Solar and wind = good. Nuclear, maybe. Are zero-emission coal-fired plants really possible? Zero emission?)

9:50 "We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years. Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025." (Sweet! Biofuels with a 25:1 EROEI by 2025! Peak oil schmeak oil! Ok, he didn't say that. But as I've said so many times before, I'll believe it when I see it.)

9:52 "Tonight I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers, to lead advanced-placement courses in math and science ... bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms" (Hey, Super G was just talking about this kind of idea this morning. SG wants to see a program that gives unemployed PhDs [in science and all other fields] research time in trade for teaching in high schools. Maybe Bush will listen to his proposal!)

9:55 "They are concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage." (Yeah, I'm discouraged by activist courts that try to take away my right to choose--again, my own opinion here)

9:57 "creating human-animal hybrids" (Seriously?!? Is someone trying to do that? I'm glad to see that Kevin Drum is just as incredulous.)

10:00 "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." (Yeah, seriously. I just hope that New Orleans residents get the good news.)

10:02 "We have entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite." (OK, let's be serious for a moment here. Just as all other Americans, I was horrified by 9/11, but this statement is rather disingenuous. He means to say that we did nothing to invite violent attack, but what he actually says is that America the great superpower did nothing to cause a worldwide ideological gulf. I am profoundly uncomfortable by this type of simplification.)

Thanks to Raw Story for the advance copy that allowed for very quick liveblogging. And now for the Democratic Response.

10:20 Wow. I'm not even motivated to snark about this. It's so dry.

10:22 Blah blah Virginia blah blah. Is it really so good? Any VA residents among our readers?

10:24 "Democrats at both the state and national levels are leading the way on energy reforms, calling for greater public investments for alternative, advanced energy technologies." (Well, it seems we're all on the same page here. So when are we going to see real change on the energy front?!)

10:25 "The Administration is falling behind in other critical areas; preserving our environment, keeping our workplaces safe, protecting family farms, keeping jobs in America." (Indeed. Too bad the minority party response is necessarily so vacuous.)