DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

The “Center for American Progress” has published a document called State of the Union Response to point out over 20 misrepresentations in Bush’s speech. Did Bush lie, or is this politics-as-usual? You be the judge.

The State of the Union speech was a slickly spun piece of PR. I wish the opposition could have had someone stand up afterwards to offer a televised rebuttal. Sure, it’s understandable that Bush’s speech was basically an advertisement for the current administration. In my opinion, the American president should be held — and should hold him or herself — to a higher standard.

I didn’t intend to repeat Wes Clark’s campaign slogan there (“A Higher Standard of Leadership”)… this is really how I feel. No president should be allowed to twist the truth like Bush has. Here’s just one example: Bush said, “Jobs are on the rise.” That depends on your perspective. Since Bush took office, 2.3 million jobs have been lost, according to Calvin Woodward of the AP. So Bush’s speech makes a great soundbite, and his claim would hold up in court once the Bush points out that he was referring to exactly one month of the last 36, but the message people heard has little to do with reality.