Reflections on the State of the Union Address

Overall, I thought it was a good speech....a little too laundry-listy in the middle, but otherwise well focused.

I enjoyed watching the Supreme Court members in the front rows squirm when Obama called them out on their recent decision. Alito wanted to pull a Joe Wilson but managed to salvage his dignity by just mouthing something nasty instead of hollering it out.

Obama has obviously mastered the piece of advice that the Virginian gave to Trampas: When you call somebody a name, smile when you say it.

What were those shiny gizmos on the counter between him and the VP & Pelosi? Art? The one in front of Pelosi looked like a model roller coaster, or a silvery version of one of those bead threading toys you see in the doctor's office. The one in front of Biden looked like a very ornate highball glass.

The speech seemed aimed more at Congress than at the general public. Not sure if a speech is what Obama needs to deal with Congress. The train wreck of health care reform could have been avoided with some better legislative strategy. For all his reputation as a legislative genius, Rahm Emanuel appears to have accomplished very little to get Congress to follow the President's lead. Either Obama has been unwilling to get into the trenches and work toward what he wants to see Congress accomplish, or the strategy his team has chosen was a poor one. Either way, what he needs now is not standing at a lectern giving a speech, but better retail politics with members of Congress.