The President made his speech and it was pretty much same old, same old. He
did admit some miscalculations in the process but kind of blew them off as
learning experiences. I am sure the families of fallen soldiers are proud to
know their loved ones gave their lives for a learning experience on behalf of
our President.

Ironically the speech has been overshadowed tonight by the story of domestic
spying. Senator Kennedy released a statement today urging the President to take
his time tonight to address the eavesdropping but the President apparently
didn’t pay attention to this advice:

In his speech to the nation tonight, the President must explain to the
American people why he feels he’s above the law. Whether its secret prisons,
bending the rules on torture, or domestic spying without court orders, this
Administration has unnecessarily played fast and loose with law and
constitutional protections. We all want to win the war on terrorism. But, we
don’t need to give up our liberty to protect our security. How can we be
credible in helping Iraq form its democratic government when our President
acts in conflict to fundamental democratic ideals at home?

The President must also explain why he’s using fear tactics to get
Congress to pass an inadequate law. Legitimate fears about terrorism should
not be an excuse to short-cut basic civil liberties, nor to mislead the
American people. The President has said that the PATRIOT Act is vital to our
national security. I agree, as does a bipartisan majority in both houses of
Congress. That’s why he should support bipartisan efforts for a brief
extension, instead of issuing veto threats and allowing it to expire.
Whether this week or in the next ninety days, the President should put
politics aside and work with Congress to achieve a bipartisan consensus on
the PATRIOT Act that protects both our security and our liberty — while
restoring the public trust.”

Read full release

here.

The people of this country are upset with the way things have gone in Iraq
and are still going. We have no idea how much longer our troops will be needed
there and at what price. Bush refuses to give any kind of timetable or goals so
the question will remain unanswered. Honestly, he did not provide any new
information on Iraq. People are for the war or against it and his speech did not
change that.

What people are questioning and upset about now is his authorization of
wiretapping without judicial oversight. This is the hot topic on everyone’s mind
and he totally ignored it. That is ashame for the President because his talking
head, Condi, is not making any progress on the talk show circuit this weekend
where she answers the questions with “I am not a lawyer so I don’t know”. That
answer is fine and all but the President is also not a lawyer and lawyers do not
have the power to authorize wiretaps anyways. That is a job left to judges.

All in all it was nothing more that a way to screw up television schedules
tonight. I had to wait longer to get my weekly dose of Family Guy and for that I
say “Screw You Bush”. Address this nation when you have something new and
meaningful to say.