State of the Union

All I can say is, "Wow!"

The President was clear, and to the point tonight on everything. You could see that he very much wanted to get through the minor "applause" moments, and tried to blow through a couple of them. The meat of this speech was more powerful than any I have seen him give, and delivered on the promise of the Inaugural Address two weeks ago.

On the domestic agenda, he didn't just ask the Congress for a bunch of programs. He threw down several gauntlets. His demand for a vote on his judges, his renewed support for an amendment to support traditional marriage, and his Social Security reform agenda will all challenge the legislative branch over the next Congress.

The brightest moment was his call to democracy, country by country, across the Middle East. The successful elections in Iraq have bought him much political capital, both in DC and around the world. His willingness to invest that capital will yield even more over time. President Bush, I think, is the first to successfully apply the principles of venture capital to the international diplomacy arena. Bravo!