Some quick thoughts on Bush’s speech last night:

I’d say in terms of rhetoric, this was neither his best speech nor his worse. He’s much more comfortable, and more charismatic, talking about anecdotes than about policy. Speaking of policy, if Bush has a bold domestic agenda for a second term, it’s hard to believe this was it. Making it easier for small business to buy healthcare like big business, simplifying the tax code, replacing overtime, tort reform – none of these seems to qualify as a big new idea. And he left us hanging on a basic question:

How can America both be “rising” and going down into a “valley below”?