he shall, from time to time...
Its not only the title of an excellent West Wing episode, its also the line in the US Constitution (Article II Section 3) that is cited as the grounds for what we call the State of the Union address. Last night's had to be one of the lamest of the lame duck SOTU speeches ever. Fortunately I was with smart people and alcohol so it wasn't a total waste. I was pretty disappointed that the Democratic response was almost as lame, thanks to a robotic delivery by Gov. Kathleen Sibelius of Kansas. She made Al Gore look like Robin Williams.
These last several years we've had to content ourselves with the assumption that the President knew how to spell "oratory" and maybe use it in a sentence. I don't think that inspirational public speaking is necessarily a required skill for someone to be a "good" President. However given the violent and volatile condition of our world today, I feel now is a particularly opportune time to elect someone with the ability to inspire us. The difficult challenges that lie ahead have no easy solutions, and this nation requires a leader with the ability to convince us all to make some sacrifices for the greater good. In case you've forgotten what a President like that sounds like, you can go here.
In case you're looking for something less "real-world", then maybe check out one of the SOTU episodes from the aforementioned TV series. I've listed all four of them below, in descending order of Quality as determined by me.
1. Season 2, 'Bartlet's Third SOTU' - Which wins if only by virtue of having Ainsley Hayes meeting the President while dancing in a bathrobe to "Blame it On the Bossa Nova". While we only see brief excerpts of the speech on TV, the speech might be seen as a bit of a political disappointment for Bartlet's more liberal fans. Blue Ribbon Commissions, school uniforms, and setting aside "ideological entrenchment" are the headliners as he unofficially kicks off his re-election campaign. There are about 5 different stories going on in this episode which are all great.
2. Season 1, 'He Shall, From Time to Time' - The episode ends before the SOTU even happens, but that takes a backseat to the introduction of the MS storyline, which doesn't come to a head until the end of Season 2. The episode is a great Bartlet-Leo story, which is the relationship at the heart of at least Season 1.
3. Season 4, 'Inauguration' - Its an election year in the Sorkin-verse, so there is no SOTU, but this one fills the void. Bartlet makes a major shift in foreign policy, with regards to pledging the use of military intervention for humanitarian disasters, a thinly veiled reference to the US non-action in the Rwandan genocide. There's the stirring scene in which Will Bailey is hired, and the adorable scene in which Josh throws snowballs at Donna's window.
4. Season 3, '100,000 Airplanes' - The first several episodes of Season 3 were in the can when 9/11 happened, and the show took the whole season to recover. There are some little gems in S3, like the introduction of Amy Gardner, and CJ's "handsome but capable" Secret Service guard. This episode tries to get the show back on track, and to a small degree, it succeeds.
These last several years we've had to content ourselves with the assumption that the President knew how to spell "oratory" and maybe use it in a sentence. I don't think that inspirational public speaking is necessarily a required skill for someone to be a "good" President. However given the violent and volatile condition of our world today, I feel now is a particularly opportune time to elect someone with the ability to inspire us. The difficult challenges that lie ahead have no easy solutions, and this nation requires a leader with the ability to convince us all to make some sacrifices for the greater good. In case you've forgotten what a President like that sounds like, you can go here.
In case you're looking for something less "real-world", then maybe check out one of the SOTU episodes from the aforementioned TV series. I've listed all four of them below, in descending order of Quality as determined by me.
1. Season 2, 'Bartlet's Third SOTU' - Which wins if only by virtue of having Ainsley Hayes meeting the President while dancing in a bathrobe to "Blame it On the Bossa Nova". While we only see brief excerpts of the speech on TV, the speech might be seen as a bit of a political disappointment for Bartlet's more liberal fans. Blue Ribbon Commissions, school uniforms, and setting aside "ideological entrenchment" are the headliners as he unofficially kicks off his re-election campaign. There are about 5 different stories going on in this episode which are all great.
2. Season 1, 'He Shall, From Time to Time' - The episode ends before the SOTU even happens, but that takes a backseat to the introduction of the MS storyline, which doesn't come to a head until the end of Season 2. The episode is a great Bartlet-Leo story, which is the relationship at the heart of at least Season 1.
3. Season 4, 'Inauguration' - Its an election year in the Sorkin-verse, so there is no SOTU, but this one fills the void. Bartlet makes a major shift in foreign policy, with regards to pledging the use of military intervention for humanitarian disasters, a thinly veiled reference to the US non-action in the Rwandan genocide. There's the stirring scene in which Will Bailey is hired, and the adorable scene in which Josh throws snowballs at Donna's window.
4. Season 3, '100,000 Airplanes' - The first several episodes of Season 3 were in the can when 9/11 happened, and the show took the whole season to recover. There are some little gems in S3, like the introduction of Amy Gardner, and CJ's "handsome but capable" Secret Service guard. This episode tries to get the show back on track, and to a small degree, it succeeds.
posted by Kenneth at
3:42 PM
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