Next Year, They Should All Stay Home And Watch American Idol

I like the fact that Chief Justice Roberts finally commented on President Obama's call-out of the Justices over the Citizens United decision during the State of the Union address.  I'm of two minds baout the issue -- I think Obama's wrong on the substance, and I think his statements in the SOTU were actually incorrect as to the law.  But having thought about it for awhile, I think both he and the Court are wrong on the decorum issue.

The Supreme Court probably shouldn't attend the SOTU, because it is largely a partisan event.  And the President shouldn't directly call out the Court in this manner if they are in the chamber -- it's an insult to an invited guest, and in many ways an unnerving bit of political theater to have judges surrounded by partisan politicians raucously insulting their decision.  I do like Drew M.'s idea about having Obama debate Justice Roberts or Justice Scalia on Constitutional issues, but that's because I'm a dork.

Bad Timing, Mr. President

Ann Althouse asks an interesting question as to what's more exciting about today -- the unveiling of the Apple Tablet, or the State of the Union? Her readers seem to overwhelmingly prefer the former.

It might be better to ask which one will have more of an impact on our lives. I'm starting to wonder if the President shouldn't just cancel the speech -- he's already been pre-empted by the season premiere of Lost, and now Steve Jobs is going to undercut him.

Bill Clinton Will Probably Be Pissed

The democrats saw another Hosue member announce his retirement earlier this week, in Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry (I feel sorry for the guy for having to be a Democrat and have that name). Berry apparently granted an interview to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which Glenn Thrush excerpts at Politico...

Berry recounted meetings with White House officials, reminiscent of some during the Clinton days, where he and others urged them not to force Blue Dogs “off into that swamp” of supporting bills that would be unpopular with voters back home.

“I’ve been doing that with this White House, and they just don’t seem to give it any credibility at all,” Berry said. “They just kept telling us how good it was going to be. The president himself, when that was brought up in one group, said, ‘Well, the big difference here and in ’94 was you’ve got me.’ We’re going to see how much difference that makes now.”

The big difference? Is that supposed to reassure Dems, or frighten them?

The State of the Union speech looks to be bigger and bigger for Obama's chances of turning things around. Unfortunately for him, I'm not sure anyone could do it, but he certainly can't if this is the attitude coming in to the situation.

Even Barack Obama Won't Screw With The Island

Yes, the President's State of the Union address is important -- it's a good way for Americans to learn what stupid initiatives we'll be paying for this year, and allows TV talking heads to talk over one another while pretending that most people give a rat's ass about what the President said.

But some things are more important...

The president of the United States apparently feels he needs the "Lost" voting bloc and therefore will not schedule his State of the Union address the same night that ABC had planned to air the two-hour season debut of the second-most-convoluted drama series in the history of TV.

"I don't foresee a scenario in which millions of people who hope to finally get some conclusion with 'Lost' are preempted by the president," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at Friday's White House press briefing.

"You can quote a senior administration official," he added.

This, in response to not one, not two, but three questions about the brewing Obama/"Lost" faceoff that were asked at the briefing by various reporters in the employ of ABC who apparently lack the gene for "embarrassed."

"Lost" fanatics had their undies in a bunch Wednesday over news that the White House might push back the president's SOTU address to Feb. 2 to enable Obama to use a freshly signed health-care reform law as an audiovisual aid.

First of all, a hearty FU to the Post reporter who thinks Lost is convoluted. It's beyond convoluted. But it's also brilliant.

Second, who schedules the State of the Union for Groundhog's Day anyway? I think my new version of hell would be waking up each morning to a new Obama speech touting the health care bill. Actually, that feels like it's already happening.

More importantly, if the President had pushed back his SOTU to show off the Frankenstein's monster known as healthcare reform while also pre-empting Lost... well, I'm not sure what I might have done. Maybe call the Smoke Monster.