There were two important speeches last night. One was given by George Bu$h, who proposed some fairly ridiculous things. In addressing the horrendous deficits his irresponsible tax and spend policies have created, he suggested that we can fix this without raising taxes. By use of Enron accounting, he has pretended that the deficit has been cut in half. What they did, of course, was to peg the end deficit as much higher than it would really be. Then each year, as the postulated deficit was announced, they could point to a 10 year projection and triumphantly proclaim, “See? We’re ahead of the curve.” Suggesting “spending discipline” will solve the problem, Mr Bu$h noted he will submit a new budget within the next few weeks and expects to level the deficit within five years. Betting men all over the world agree that the "spending discipline" will entail cruel budget cuts in programs that keep people alive, or allow them to live lives with some sort of dignity.

I wonder whether we’ve seen the end of “emergency appropriations” for Mr Bu$h’s ego-war? Will he agree to honest accounting? Noooo……. I didn’t think so.

Mr Bu$h urged the ending of earmarks, which of course, the Republicans have abused without mercy. Now that the Democratic Party controls spending we might actually see an end of this, although I’m dubious. Bad habits die hard.

Oh yes, Mr Bu$h insists the Social Security and Medicare “problems” must be fixed. Despite about a dozen carefully crafted extravaganzas before vetted friendly audiences, he got his hat handed to him on that. Americans are pretty certain Social Security works just fine, despite his party’s desperate desire to turn the cashbox loose for the Wall Street wolves. We can expect another full court press on this in the upcoming year, because there’s still some cash in the Treasury, so the job isn’t complete yet.

In addressing the health care crisis in America, he suggested that the 48 million Americans who don’t have insurance should start health care savings accounts, and take advantage of a tax break the Republicans are supposedly going to suggest. Apparently it hasn’t penetrated through the wall to the Millionaires’ Club that the reason 48 million people have no heath insurance is because their employers refuse to provide it. Faced with the choice of paying horrendous rates for health insurance rather than paying for food and shelter, people choose three meals a day and a roof. Without even seeing this proposal I can confidently predict it will be loaded with special tax breaks for “small business,” which of course doesn’t mean small businesses at all.

Naturally, his ego-war and its consequences got a lot of air time during the speech. I especially liked this bit:

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled — that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy.

“With the distance of time” has a nice ring to it. It sort of implies that somewhere in the deep, dark, murky mists of time somehow the original cause was forgotten, rather than that he and his criminal associates lied like titty bar barkers to get us into this thing that is destroying our nation.

I also liked this bit:

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free-flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Those days are over, unless you’re moving around Afghanistan, Waziristan, Pakistan, Somalia, or have Pakistan’s ISI as your travel agent, and the Banks of Dubai as your financial advisors. And it’s true life hasn’t been the same since 9/11, because now Bu$hCo arranges about 85% of their recruiting for them.

On the other hand, Jim Webb (D-VA) gave a speech last night, too. If you’d like to see what a smart man, a patriotic man, a man who answered his country’s call in a time of need, a man who actually breathes oxygen and lives on the Planet Earth looks like, his speech is here.