He Could Be a Hero

I was re-reading the official White House transcript of Thursday’s press conference where the President made his “Chocolate City,” I mean, “that part of the world” remarks.

After the first few paragraphs, I realized that the President really doesn’t think we are part of the United States.

He dedicated his first remarks to previewing this Tuesday’s State of the Union Address.

First paragraph: We could be heroes.

I'm going to remind people we're living in historic times, and that we have a chance to make decisions today that will help shape the direction of events for years to come. I'm going to continue to talk about an optimistic agenda that will keep -- that will remind folks we've got a responsibility to lead. We've got a responsibility to lead to promote freedom and a responsibility to continue to put policies in place that will let us be a leader when it comes to the economy in the world.

Second paragraph: We could be heroes… together.

I recognize this is an election year, but I believe that we can work together to achieve results. In other words, I think we can set aside the partisanship that inevitably will come with an election year, and get some stuff done. And that's what I'm going to call Congress to do.

Third paragraph: We could be heroes that vanquish our enemies. And torture them. And spy on our citizens.

We've got -- must work together to protect our nation's security. I'm going to continue do everything within my authority to protect the American people. We're going to stay on the offense in the war against terror. We'll hunt down the enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere. We'll continue our terrorist surveillance program against al Qaeda. Congress must reauthorize the Patriot Act so that our law enforcement and intelligence and homeland security officers have the tools they need to route the terrorists -- terrorists who could be planning and plotting within our borders. And we'll do all this and at the same time protect the civil liberties of our people.

Fourth paragraph: We could be heroes if we don’t go over to the dark side.

We're going to continue to lead the cause of freedom in the world. The only way to defeat a dark ideology is through the hopeful vision of human liberty.

Fifth paragraph: We could be heroes at home with lots of money.

Here at home, we're also -- we've got great opportunities. And to seize those opportunities, we have got to lead. Our economy is growing, it is strong. This economy has created millions of new jobs, yet it's an economy that is changing rapidly. And we live in a competitive world. And so policies must be put in place to recognize the competition of the global economy and prepare our people to be able to continue to compete so America can continue to lead.

Sixth paragraph: Of course, we will be fiscally prudent heroes.

Of course, we'll talk about fiscal policy in my State of the Union, talking about the Congress to be wise about how we spend the people's money and to make the tax cuts permanent.

Seventh paragraph: We could be healthy and smart heroes.

I will talk about initiatives to make sure our health care and education and energy recognizes the realities of the world in which we live today and anticipates the problems of the world tomorrow so that we can remain competitive.

Last paragraph: Finally, we could be heroes on the Gulf Coast, as well as heroes with “values” that don’t clone humans and stop the bird flu.

I will talk about the values that are important for our country. I'm going to remind people we show the character and compassion of America by taking focused action to confront disease and to help devastated areas of our country that have been -- areas that have been devastated by natural disasters, and ensure that medical research is conducted in a manner that recognizes the dignity of every human life.

We don’t even get a full paragraph or mention by name in his preview of the State of the Union address. He does know that this part of the world is part of the Union, doesn’t he? If anything, he could be a hero and use this Tuesday’s address as a way to alert the American people about the state of the Gulf Coast. It ain’t strong.

But I am not holding my breath. Every time the President opens his mouth about the hurricanes, more stupid comes out.

Humid Haney has his predictions for the SotU Address. I predict the President will point out some survivors there, sitting behind the First Lady. He will saying he’s doing what it takes to rebuild their community. Everyone will applaud. Maybe the First Lady will kiss and hug them. And that’s it. No policy. No plans. Just promises.

No hero.