Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Annual Message

Assigned reading.  Because the Lord knows I don’t have time for it all.  Found this link to the texts of all the State of the Union speeches from every President of the United States back to Honest George.

One thing I noted was that not until H.W. Bush did the President make a SOTU speech in the year he took office.  I.E. Bush, Clinton and Bush Jr. all made speeches the moment they took office.  Before that the outgoing President made the SOTU just before vacating office.

Does that track with SOTU speeches sounding more like stump speeches at party conventions than a portrayal of how the country is doing and what’s happened over the last year.

I scanned one of FDR’s speeches, and the entire thing was about the war.  No promises about domestic programs.  No personal accolades.  Just where the nation was in the war vs. Germany and Japan.

OK, I’m kidding.  You all don’t have to read all the speeches.  Don’t leave without scanning a couple, though.

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