I really don't care for State of the Union addresses. The lack of flow, from the constant clapping to the smorgasboard of ideas, really bugs me. I'd rather see a competent presentation of vision instead of the bullet points. Hydrogen Cars! AIDS drugs for Africa! Tax refunds! Blowin' up Sadaam!

My one lingering thought from the night was where W was going to get the money to finance all his initiatives if he's cutting taxes so deeply. I can only assume he thinks that economic stimulus will lead to enough added revenue to fund this stuff. It's kind of like Supply Side II: Electric Boogaloo, but with the trickle coming to the government rather than the lower tax brackets.

There's also his idea that the best way to lower health care costs is to cap malpractice awards. I have no doubt that costs related to malpractice are a problem, but I don't see how capping will lead to cheaper prescription drugs, or cost containment for services (I know, lower malpractice insurance premiums are supposed to lead to lower costs because doctors don't have to charge patients as much, but who really thinks doctors are going to roll back prices when there's added profit to be had?).

I'm reasonably in favor of hydrogen-powered cars. I'd have liked to hear something about what we're doing in relation to emissions in the meantime. The new Dodge Tritium isn't rolling off the lines any time soon.

I won't even go into the war thing, other than to note that I hope Colin Powell's trip to the UN isn't just window dressing.

What I did enjoy was the crowd shots. Look at Hillary talk to Joe. Watch Joe roll his eyes. See the Joint Chiefs look bored. Marvel at the generational synergy of Teddy Kennedy sitting next to nephew Patrick. See ABC show some random dark-skinned person during the discussion of AIDS in Africa without noting that he's Uganda's mininster in charge of AIDS policy (they managed to note this the second time around). See John Kerry golf clap and play the "what if" game with the 2005 State of the Union. See Dick Gephardt sitting next to Charles Rangel, hoping he doesn't get blamed for Rangel's military draft bill.

Gary Locke's response was OK. Pretty much what you'd expect. Nice to see BU representin', though.