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State of the Union 2006: Bizarro world?

21:55 / 31.01.06

It's still an hour or so before President Bush delivers his 2006 State of the Union addresss, but at the moment it is being heavily trailed that he will be talking of the dangers of the US's Oil Addiction...

So, what do people make of this apparent shift in policy? Are we seeing the beginnings of the US returning to Nuclear power?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:22 / 31.01.06

All I know is, I'm pornalising that motherfucker.

Phex: Dorset Doom

22:45 / 31.01.06

Well, we've already seen Bin Laden the lefist (and the birth of the Bin Laden book club: next week he proclaims a fatwah on James Frey) so why not Bush the environmentalist? Both are pretty transparent attempts to make their stupid ideas and policies palatable to anyone but themselves. Both ignore their key demographic (gun-toting bigoted religious nuts) and both statements will come back to bite them in the ass when they lose support from said demographics and fail to get the support they want from fence-sitters.

12:53 / 01.02.06

I don't find it bizzare because until I see his actions match his words, I'll assume Bush is full of shit. He can talk all he wants about changing energy policies or bringing the Democrats and Republicans together but I won't believe it until I see it.

If he actually IS speaking the truth when it comes to changing our energy policy then I applaud him for finally seeing the light.

Did anyone see clips from the speech afterwards? The only time the Dems stood up to clap was when Bush talked about the soldiers in the Middle East. The house was split exactly down party lines, something that's dismaying. Clearly, we've got a long way to go if somebody wants to repair relations in the legislative branch.

And Sheehan...I don't agree with her being arrested but she definitely should have been thrown out on her ass.

12:59 / 01.02.06

the speech goes the way he thinks it needs to go. last year it was all social security, which died on the vine. now it's dependance on foreign oil. i also dont believe anything he says. he's just trying to gain points and position republican congresspeople for the upcoming elections.

nuclear power is pretty safe, but it doesnt fuel cars. the biggest challenge will be in convincing failing american car companies to cater to a completely different market than the one they currently enjoy.

i wonder if a more dramatic impact could be had if the feds concentrate on building a new airline fleet that uses a better fuel. it's a longer-term achievement since the market would only have to be shifted for a short period of time in order to revamp most of the active jets and wouldnt have to rely on the impulses of fat americans who like to drive really fast in really loud and big cars.

13:30 / 01.02.06

One bizarre thing was that Bush kept talking about the dangers of isolationism, when none of the Democrats or anyone are advocating isolationism. I guess in his addled brain he thinks that eventually leaving Iraq is 'isolationism and retreat.'

Very funny how the Democrats loudly cheered the fact that they blocked his awful Social Security overhaul proposals.

And he advocates making tax rebates/cuts permanent when the federal deficit is insanely large. Just one of the many reasons why he's an idiot...was refreshing to hear a Prez. from Big Oil Texas talk about exploring alternate forms of energy, though, even if it's just smoke and mirrors at this point.

13:42 / 01.02.06

i wonder if a more dramatic impact could be had if the feds concentrate on building a new airline fleet that uses a better fuel. it's a longer-term achievement since the market would only have to be shifted for a short period of time in order to revamp most of the active jets and wouldnt have to rely on the impulses of fat americans who like to drive really fast in really loud and big cars.

A long term project and then some... Aviation procument, like defense procurement is an extremely long game... there are still aircraft developed during the 1940s (such as the Comet/Nimrod) that are still in active service today... it seems more likely that the automotive in America will adapt more fuel-efficient engine technologies first...

How well that industry will beable to bear up in the face strong competition from overseas competition that has already focused on fuel-efficient engines... only time will tell...

Hmm this might do better as part of a wider energy policy thread, perhaps in the laboratory...

13:47 / 01.02.06

i was thinking the age of the fleet (for instance, from the 40s) would lend itself to an overhaul that could be furthered by the concept of new fuel sources.

his "isolationism" talk is a fallacy. he needs to attach extreme views to his opponents in order to discredit them.

wouldnt pulling out of middle east economies by reducing dependency on foreign oil be considered a more correct application of "isolationism"? if we want democracy and capitalism in the middle east, wouldnt we want to put money there by buying their oil?

14:08 / 01.02.06

Exactly - Bush needs to make his opponents seem like they're advocating something extreme and nutty in order to have his own arguments make sense, and to paint his opponents as wrongheaded.

14:10 / 01.02.06

Article from Cindy Sheehan about her experience last night.

20:27 / 01.02.06

Yahoo News report about the so-called "progress" in Iraq that Bush touted last night:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Guerrilla attacks in Iraq have forced the cancellation of more than 60 percent of water and sanitation projects, in part because American intelligence failed to predict the brutal insurgency, a U.S. government audit said.

American goals to fix Iraq's infrastructure will never be reached, mainly because insurgents have chased away contractors and forced the diversion of repair funds into security, according to an audit of the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Program released last week. It is the latest in a series of auditing reports being issued by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

The rise of Iraq's insurgency was never envisioned by U.S. officials, who originally budgeted about 9 percent of reconstruction aid for project security, the audit said.
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13:55 / 02.02.06

>> Capitol Police Apologize to Activist Sheehan
Reuters

Wednesday 01 February 2006

Washington - The US Capitol Police dropped charges against activist Cindy Sheehan on Wednesday and apologized for arresting her in the House of Representatives chamber shortly before President Bush's State of the Union address.

Sheehan, who became a central figure in the U.S. anti-war movement after her son Casey was killed in the Iraq war, was taken from the Capitol in handcuffs and charged with unlawful conduct after refusing to cover an anti-war slogan on her T-shirt.

The Capitol Police said in a statement that it had reviewed the incident and determined the arrest was unwarranted.

"While officers acted in a manner consistent with the rules of decorum enforced by the department in the House Gallery for years, neither Mrs. Sheehan's manner of dress or initial conduct warranted law enforcement intervention," the statement said.

Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer also apologized to the wife of a House Republican who was told to leave the chamber during Bush's speech for wearing a shirt bearing words of support for U.S. troops.

Rep. Bill Young of Florida had condemned the treatment of his wife, Beverly. Young, who chairs the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, said on the House floor his wife was called "a demonstrator and a protester" for doing what Bush had asked of Americans: supporting U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

The Capitol Police statement said neither guest should have been confronted about her expressive T-shirt.

"The officers made a good faith, but mistaken, effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol. The policy and procedures were too vague," Gainer said. "The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."
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19:36 / 02.02.06

"The officers made a good faith, but mistaken, effort to enforce an old unwritten interpretation of the prohibitions about demonstrating in the Capitol. The policy and procedures were too vague," Gainer said. "The failure to adequately prepare the officers is mine."

Is it just me, or does that sound like a halfway sensible response?