A speech, like a good book, cannot be too long. However, it can be too boring. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address this year was both.
For a man whose only known and proven skill is delivering speeches, this one was a real stinker. It was preachy, defensive, petty and in many ways a denial of reality.
Oh, and hypocritical. Let's not forget hypocritical.
For example, the president chided members of Congress for pointing fingers, declaring that "we can't wage a perpetual campaign" - only to then proceed to point fingers and deliver a campaign-like speech blistering Republicans for all the nation's ills short of acne and acid indigestion.
And proving that what he lacks in experience and common sense he makes up for with chutzpah, Obama complained about Republicans using the filibuster to block his agenda with no mention of the fact that it was Sen. Harry Reid who first began abusing the filibuster to block simple up-or-down votes on judicial nominations by former President Bush.
Let he who is without sin, Mr. President.
In addition, armed with super-majorities in both Houses of Congress, Obama tried to shove a government takeover of the nation's health care industry down our throats with as much consideration for Republican concerns, objections and alternatives as a hiker up C Hill has for stepping on ants.
It was only after the voters of Massachusetts slapped him on the nose with a rolled up Boston Globe that Obama and the Democrats began talking in a
"bipartisan" fashion.
And how cynical was it for Obama to declare that Congress has to "do our work openly" after Harry Reid and the Democrats crafted the health care takeover bill secretly and behind closed doors, only to then spring it on an unsuspecting public and unknowing Congress days before Christmas when almost no one was paying attention?
The president also continues to push big government solutions to big problems that will cost the country big money that the country doesn't have. He defended the stimulus - which has stimulated only higher unemployment, deficits of galactic proportions, and a longer recession - as well as calling for Stimulus II and an absurdly expensive cap-and-tax bill.
And finally, perhaps the most offensive and deeply troubling part of this year's SOTU was the president saying he promised to end the war in Iraq and then taking credit for doing so. What a shame he didn't promise to WIN the war in Iraq instead.
Well, there's always Afghanistan and the war against underwear bombers. Lead on, General Chaos!
• Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a non-profit public policy grassroots advocacy organization. He may be reached at chuck@
citizenoutreach.com.