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CTRL-X
CTRL-V
That, in a nutshell, is how the Bush speechwriting team approached the environment and energy portion of tonight's State of the Union address, the last such speech for our 43rd President. Add in the liberal use of the delete key from the SOTU 2007 transcript, and you get the general idea.
Essentially, tonight's speech was 2007 Light – a paltry 220 words devoted to energy independence, greenhouse gas reduction and oh yes, technologies! Last year's environment section warranted a healthy six paragraphs and 440 words, including the first mention of "climate change" and a call for Congress to modernize fuel economy standards for cars. Obviously, Bush had to be conciliatory to Democrats following the beatdown of the GOP in November 2006, but the president still managed to strike a chord one year ago that resulted in action, no matter no small.
Tonight, that same section felt obligatory, uninspired and rehashed. Oh wait, that's because it was rehashed. Take a look for yourself at excerpts from the two addresses:
SOTU 2008:
"To build a future of energy security, we must trust in the creative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs and empower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology. Our security, our prosperity, and our environment all require reducing our dependence on oil … Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions. Let us increase the use of renewable power and emissions-free nuclear power. Let us continue investing in advanced battery technology and renewable fuels to power the cars and trucks of the future. Let us create a new international clean technology fund, which will help developing nations like India and China make greater use of clean energy sources … The United States is committed to strengthening our energy security and confronting global climate change. And the best way to meet these goals is for America to continue leading the way toward the development of cleaner and more efficient technology."
SOTU 2007:
"It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply -- and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power -- by even greater use of clean coal technology ... solar and wind energy ... and clean, safe nuclear power. We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol -- using everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes …America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment -- and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change."
More analysis coming tomorrow, but I'll leave this evening with a few random observations from SOTU 2008:
- Bush, like every Republican, almost always mentions nuclear power when discussing alternative energy solutions. It's no surprise that it came up again this evening, but what's noteworthy is that he's finally stopped calling it a renewable source of energy. For years (including 2007) he liked to lump nuclear with solar and wind energy, forgetting that nasty little byproduct called nuclear waste. Tonight the language was different: "Emissions-free nuclear power."
- Ted Kennedy sure looks happy to be relevant again, if only for one night.
- I watched the speech on CNN, where Wolf Blitzer promised us "many awkward moments." Thirty seconds later, Bush enters the chamber and is met by scores of anonymous congressmen and women holding a pen and program, asking for the President's autograph. Comedy = Bush pretending like he knows their names while he scribbles his name like your average second baseman at a ballgame.
- As always, the commentators make a big deal of the one cabinet member who stays home for the speech, a move that ensures the continuity of government should something really bad happen at the Capitol. I feel reassured to hear that tonight, that member is Interior Department Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. Should disaster strike, National Park Service maintenance backlogs, BLM oil drilling leases and Bureau of Reclamation dam-building will all continue without interruption! CNN's reporter on the floor says a lot of thought goes into who stays home for the speech, and that it usually comes down to which department is featured least prominently in the address. Yes, that was probably a pretty good sign of things to come.
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