Finally, a leader

Some observations after Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress, which, for some reason, cannot be called a State of the Union.

• McCain looked absolutely terrible. I wonder if his health is declining or if he was just wearing lots of make-up throughout the campaign last year?
• I liked the seemingly bipartisan applause for broad initiatives like healthcare reform. For something so popular, it will be interesting and aggravating to see the ways that the Republicans decide to drag their feet.
• Hillary looked ridiculous in that bright pink suit.
• Michelle Obama is way prettier than Laura Bush.
• The jokes about attempts for bipartisanship thus far were light-hearted and nice.
• And finally, I cannot express how fantastic it was to have a president deliver a respectable speech. He didn't make up any words, didn't reference "evil-doers" or resort to sweeping generalities. He simply stood before Congress and country and detailed his immediate and long-term agenda, explaning in depth (with typical oratorical flourish) why he believes each aspect is important. And he used patriotism effectively - not as a tool of fear-mongering manipulation, but as a way to make the citizens feel better and more confident. This is what a leader is supposed to be.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Obama's address. It was also heartening that the reaction seemed to be very positive from the polls and the cable news analysis. Then, listening to Bobby Jindal's response put me over the moon.

This fool is supposed to be the Republican Party's rising star? Granted, it is no easy task to follow Barack Obama, and Jindal has not had many opportunities to speak before a national audience. I probably never even gave him a fair chance, since I was cracking up at Keith Olbermann's disdainful, unintentionally-heard-by-mic utterance of "Oh, God" as Jindal strutted up to the camera. But the speech was objectively terrible.

It was not particularly substantive, and his harping on taxes made him sound completely out of touch, since Obama had just reiterated that 95% of people were going to see their taxes lowered. Blaming "big government" for the world's ills rings false when the populace is looking for comfort and stability. And doggedly repeating "Americans can do anything" sounds trite when you do it 17 times in 10 minutes. His response was typical political showboating - harping on inflammatory buzz words instead of practical issues. To make it worse, his delivery was lacking. I didn't think about the Kenneth resemblance at the time, but that is accurate and hilarious as well.

I'm sure Bobby Jindal is a good politician and has the potential to develop into an exciting candidate for national office. But you only get one chance to make a first impression, and he blew it big time.