Thoughts on the SOTU & Response

President Obama's State of the Union Address lasted almost as long as his first year in office.

While President Obama said he "takes my share of the blame" for the Obamacare debacle and that his administation's electoral setbacks were "deserved" he certainly did not speak with humility.

There will be a second stimulus bill, a new climate change bill and Obamacare is proceeding full speed ahead. The President says he's open to a "better approach" but there's no reason to believe that he will be any more receptive to GOP alternatives than he has in the past. He reminded Democrats "we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills." Translation: Pass Obamacare now because Democrats won't have that large majority after November.

Obama spoke a great deal about small business. But how exactly is levying a tax on the "big banks" going to encourage lending to small business? The President paid lip service to things like building nuclear power plants and doubling exports in five years. He also claimed Iran had become "more isolated" and that they would face "growing consequences." From whom? China? Russia?

I found it amusing when Obama said, "America must always stand on the side of human freedom and dignity. Always." I wonder what the Iranians who chanted, "Obama, are you with us or against us?" thought of that pronouncement.

Publicly chastising the Supreme Court over its decision regarding election financing was also unbecoming. Especially when you consider that he opted out of public financing for the 2008 election.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's response was as brief as President Obama's was protracted. It was a good move for his reply to take place in the Virginia House of Delegates in front of a diverse group of Virginians. McDonnell delivered a solid, unspectacular speech which would have been forgotten ten minutes after delivery had he been alone in the Governor's mansion.

While McDonnell praised President Obama with regard to his proposed spending freeze, charter schools and increasing troops in Afghanistan he said the federal government was "trying to do too much." He took Obama to task for turning over our health care system to the federal government against our wishes, undermining free markets and giving Miranda warnings to the Christmas Day bomber. He quoted Scott Brown in saying that our tax dollars must be spent to "defeat terrorists, not to protect them."

In short, McDonnell was no Bobby Jindal.

But President Obama is playing for keeps and Scott Brown can't be seated a moment too soon.