Sights and sounds of President Bush's re-election kick-off; only a little bias in evidence from me, but what else is new?
Note: All italics are mine.
Quotes and Paraphrases
• Though there have been no attacks on American soil in 28 months, the perception that the danger of terrorism is behind us is false.
• “Inside the US where the war [on Terrorists] began…”
• “Key provisions of the Patriot Act will expire next year [light applause punctuated by Bush poker face]; the terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule [punctuated by louder, more sustained applause].”
• A bit of gloating: Found in a hole, Saddam now sits in a prison cell.
• “Weapons of mass murder”
• “We [the president and the Congress] will give you [the military] the resources you need to fight the War on Terror.”
• Nine months of diplomacy with Libya versus twelve years of diplomacy with Iraq: the lesson is that diplomacy is only effective if the words are credible.
• “It’s not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers; the terrorists declared war on the United States and war is what they got.”
• Counterpoint to the “unilateral” Big Lie: the president names most of the names of our true and many allies.
• “America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.”
• “Government health care is the ‘wrong prescription.’”
• “We live in a time set apart.”
• “Al Quaeda killers”
• “Nukular”
Domestic Subjects
• Social Security choices for younger workers
• Businesses and doctors must be protected from frivolous law suits (the Democrats didn’t clap for either of these).
• Immigration reform, but no amnesty.
• Health savings account
• Low Income tax credit to buy health insurance
• School drug testing
• If activist judges keep pressing to overturn President Clinton’s Defense of Marriage Act (1996), citizens will be force to press their reps to seek an amendment to the US Constitution (the president's take on it).
• Faith-based charities will not be discriminated against regarding funding.
• Prisoner reentry program
Frivolous Musings
• President looks extremely relaxed; not one vocalized animal-like oscillation. ;-)
• Ted Kennedy shakes his head during the president’s Medicare blurb. At first I thought it was a negation of the president’s assertion on the subject but when the camera went back to him, he was still shaking his head; some sort of tick?
• A cute little girl gets a hug from the president and a civics lesson from her dad. Not her fault that her granddad is Jesse Jackson.
• General Myers (Chairman of the JCS) looks like a man at war.
• Colin Powell looks well for a man who recently had surgery.
• Where’s Condi Rice? Oh, there she is.
• Hillary Clinton looks like she tied one on last night, but smiles when she knows that the camera’s on her.
• Bill Frist’s hair looks glued on.
• Charlie Rangel must have missed his afternoon nap.
