Tuesday, January 23, 2007

State of the Union - Comedy Tonight!

I was despairing about what I could possibly have to say about the President's State of the Union speech later tonight. Quite frankly, I would rather be watching a replay of the Bears win in the NFC Championship game that the NFL Network is cleverly counter-programming to the speech. What to do? What to do? Well... I asked Bob. This afternoon, Bob Woodward fielded on-line questions at the Washington Post previewing the President's speech. I got the last question in the que:

[mw] San Francisco, Ca.: " Given the President's lame duck status, low approval ratings, and open defiance of his own party on Iraq - Is there any real relevance to the SOTU tonight or is it just an empty exercise in pomp and protocol? It just seems like the address pales in comparison to other major political stories in the last 24 hours - Warner's resolution on Iraq, the allegation of Cheney's instigation of Libby's obstruction of justice, and General Petraeus testimony to the Armed Forces committee in the Senate."

Bob Woodward: "President George W. Bush still holds office, and if there's anything we've learned over the last decades, it's that the president has incredible, real power, so everything the chief executive says, intends and actually does is at the center of what's happening. I don't think Bush is overjoyed with the low poll ratings, but I also suspect he doesn't brood about them in the way some other presidents might have. Recall after the Baker-Hamilton report, the debate was, how are we going to start withdrawing troops from Iraq? But Bush surprised everyone except those who know him by deciding to add troops. So he still has the job and can make important decisions, but tonight is probably going to be mostly theater."

Mostly theater! Of course! I love theater. Thanks Bob. The only way to really appreciate GWB's SOTU address is in the context of a good musical comedy. Daily Kos will be live blogging. MSNBC will pretend to be live-blogging. RedState has eight different essays on what the President should say, none of which are close to what he will say. Wonkette is live blogging and playing a drinking game. And DWSUWF will be linking [Blogger permitting] line by line the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim's "Comedy Tonight" as sung by the appropriately named character Pseuodolus - to any blog or news story that seems remotely appropriate to the lyric and the topic. [And we will also playing a drinking game.] [And we will also flip over to the NFL channel every time Nancy Pelosi scowls at George W Bush.]

DWSUWF welcomes any and all suggested links for any line of the lyrics from anyone who accidently stumbles across this post before, during, or after the speech. Don't bother with a suggested link to the word "liars" - got that one covered.

Music up... Open the Curtain...

Comedy Tonight
from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Something familiar,
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Something appealing,
Something appalling,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns;
Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns!

Old situations,
New complications,
Nothing portentous or polite;
Tragedy tomorrow,
Comedy tonight!

Something convulsive,
Something repulsive,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Something aesthetic,
Something frenetic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Nothing with gods, nothing with fate;
Weighty affairs will just have to wait!

Nothing that's formal,
Nothing that's normal,
No recitations to recite;
Open up the curtain:
Comedy Tonight!

Something erratic,
Something dramatic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Frenzy and frolic,
Strictly symbolic,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Divided and Balanced.™ Now that is fair.

No comments: