SOTU

Larger minds than mine have weighed in on the President�s State of the Union so I�ll leave them to the meat and potatoes of rhetorical analysis. Two things struck me though.

The first was the commitment to subsidize the AIDS fight in sub-Sahara Africa. While US$15 Billion is not nearly enough to stem the problem, it�s a great start. I am curious though, if the sanctimonious Europeans will pony up matching cash.

The second is a proposal to fund research into hydrogen fuel cells. For those who don�t know, hydrogen is a virtually inexhaustible fuel source that "burns" perfectly clean. Switching our economy from petroleum-based to hydrogen based is highly problematic and would require a massive investment in infrastructure. However, such a switch would do a couple of things. First, it would deprive our "friends" in the Middle East the cash they use to fund terror, amongst other things. Second, it would allow for guilt-free SUVs. If they don�t pollute and don�t subsidize terrorism, I guess the loony left will just find something to complain about them. I have every confidence in them.

A ringing endorsement

I have never said this in print, but I must express qualified agreement with Bill Keller�s piece in the New York Times Magazine comparing George W. Bush to Ronald Reagan. Both are plainspoken men of the West, who have moral clarity in their political stands, programs and outlooks. Before it�s all over with, they may both grace the obverse of some American Currency.

The Myth of European Unity against the US vis-�-vis Iraq

The leaders of eight European countries signed a letter published in a number of European newspapers supporting the American crusade against Iraq�s Saddam Hussien. Methinks that the French and Germans are starting to find themselves boxed into a corner, where they are the only people in support of appeasing Saddam. If they press this game too long, they will absolutely find themselves frozen out of Iraq post-war. Both, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schr�der may be self-destructive enough to allow that to happen. As for the Russians, they know that we�ll take care of them with regards to their deals with Iraqi government. They just don�t want to commit now because it may be weeks before we pull the trigger. That disruption would cost them millions in oil and gas revenue. Look for a last minute "come to Jesus" moment from Bush to Vladimir Putin.

One picture is worth a thousand words

This picture should be one of the framing arguments concerning Iraq II and the lack of French support.

30 Jan 03 dpny