Evening Update - The State of the Union - 2.2.05

Good evening . . .

The President's State of the Union address was well reasoned and set forth and ambitious but attainable agenda Congress.

The two highlights of the speech were the President's call for Congressional fiscal responsibility and the overhaul of the Social Security System.

The President said that the budget he sends to Congress will see increases lower than the rate of inflation and that "hundreds" of programs that are not working or are fiscally irresponsible are not included. He said that Congress had the responsibility to make sure that they follow through by passing spending bills that reflect the budget. While not said, the President may veto bills that do not conform with his budget proposals. To date the President has not vetoed any spending bill, but there is always the possibility. You can tell from the President's speech that he will be using his second term to get the country's fiscal house in order and will use the "political capital" gained during the election to do so.

The most ambitious part of the speech and agenda is the reform of Social Security. This part of the speech was well reasoned and thoughtful. The framework the President presented demonstrated that the need is now and to wait for Social Security to collapse is unacceptable.

The framework for Congressional action seemed to be reasonable and workable. It demonstrates that all proposals will be considered and that all aspects of the system are on the table.

Even before the speech Democrats in the House and the Senate said that any proposal to change Social Security is "dead on arrival." How any Democrat could oppose a reform of the system to make it more viable and sound is beyond me. The proposal made by the President targets younger workers who will be voting in future elections. If the Democrats obstruct or block Social Security reform, they will feel it in future elections. Democrats should eagerly jump on the Social Security reform bandwagon and assure victory. Frankly, the system is broke, it will go bankrupt, and failing to reform it is ridiculous.

The remainder of the speech was on other domestic issues, Iraq, and Homeland Security. There was little new in these areas that the President hasn't proposed before.

All in all a good speech that will cause harsh and partisan criticism from backward think liberals and the Democratic leadership.

More tomorrow in the Morning Briefing.