SOTU: View From Statuary Hall

Posted: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 10:55 PM by Hardball

By Andrew Noyes, National Journal's Beltway Blogroll

The view from Statuary Hall, where members of Congress file out after the State of the Union speech, can best be described as an intensely chaotic popularity contest. Television reporters fighting print reporters for a moment of a key lawmaker’s time. Spotlights glaring. Cameras rolling. Reporters can be seen straining mightily over the velvet rope separating the journalistic masses from waves of lawmakers. Tape recorders dangle from our fingertips as we get that perfect sound bite. For few minutes early in the rush, someone flipped the power off. TV folks were horrified but us print guys didn’t miss a beat. The lights and cameras came back on, and the buzz grew to a dull roar.

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Comments

I wonder who cares.

Robert, Kingfield ME (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 10:58 PM)

I can't see how anyone can call him (bush) a leader? This man couldn't lead a parade down a one way steet.

BOB MCCORMICK MERRITT ISLAND, FL (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 10:59 PM)

Nice read on the post SOTU scrum....

Angelo Ortiz, Bronx, NY (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:03 PM)

I think that the Democrats are insidious and cannot grasp the simple truth the Jesus Christ is Lord and cannot be replaced by some ridiculous female persona such as Hilary Clinton, a female who wishes she were someone else.

A Legal Blonde Virginia Beach vA (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:03 PM)

How 'bout Hillary agreeing to an interview! It's amazing how warm she can be in an interview. She's always articulate, but sometimes comes off as robotic. Someone must be working with her - she sounded very natural in her interview w/Chris & Keith.

Donna Marshall, Wilmington, DE (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:04 PM)

Yes..I am not a big fan of Hillary, but I was impressed with the interview as well..

Lynne Hutton (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:08 PM)

Could the senator from Iowa have been any happier? The guy lept out of his chair like it was on fire to applaud the ethanol and bio-fuels lines.

Gerry, Fairfax, VA (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:09 PM)

I wonder who in congress is concerned about the National Guardsmen and women who signed on to be the guardians of American and have been turned into two timers and three timers being deployed to war?

Teena DAnnibale (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:09 PM)

Wow, legal blonde, not sure where that came from. People like you scare me. Read the bible - Jesus would NEVER have supported Bush or most of the Republican agenda. Duh. You're backing the wrong party.

Donna Marshall, Wilmington, DE (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:10 PM)

What is Joe Scarborough talkin about...how to make a silk purse from a sows ear? How can anyone actually see ANYTHING any different in that speech. I think they are all suffering from wisful thinking and are confusing confidence with messionic fervor!(hummm seems we're dealing with others of that persuasion...coincidence?)

Joan, Concord, NH (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:14 PM)

I love Barack Obama's comments I truly believe he is presidential material

lakisha jackson st.louis mo (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:15 PM)

Legal Blonde...????

Joan, Concord, NH (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:16 PM)

Tucker's on the money. Ms Pelosi acted as though she was paying litte attention to what the President was saying. Evident when she went flipping through the pages of what I assume was a copy of the very speech to which she was being presented by the Leader of the Free World. I am a Democrat and feel we don't need this kind of attitude from the party leaders. Get the ad out, NOW, for a new media spokesperson for the Dems. Afghanistan not Iraq is where we should be....It is beyond me why Republicans have forgotten the name "Osama bin Laden".

gregg brown, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:18 PM)

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans have an important question. My future son in law, as well as my daughter, are Iraq War Vets and would do anything for their country. Both PA National Guardsmen, the most deployed Guard unit in the country. Yet, we have to wonder how many deployments our nations National Guards are suppose to stand. These are people who are signed up to help in NAtional emergencies like Katrina and are so strained due to deployments to Iraq they cannot keep up with recruiting or training for their own states.

Teena Dannibale, Shippensburg, PA (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:22 PM)

Regarding the absurd comment about Democrats somehow thinking that Hilary should replace Jesus Christ as Lord. Who are you? I haven't heard one Democrat say words like that. Unless you are a mind reader, it is ridiculous of you to say that. Congratulations for showing the true insecurities of Republicans

Tim Weiss, Folsom, CA (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:24 PM)

I don't know why Pelosi is expected to be sitting at the edge of her seat grinning like a schoolgirl. Hastert never did. Cheney never does. Try not to have such a double standard. It's not about having a bad attitude. It's about hearing the same old blah, blah, blah year after year.

Donna Marshall, Wilmington, DE (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:26 PM)

Would somone please remind Joe that Mr.Pres. has a speech writer...he probably had to practice those lines for two days at least!

Joan, Concord, NH (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:28 PM)

Amen, Teena. The fact that we had to pull troops out of Iraq to help during Katrina was pathetic. There's a reason they don't call it the International Guard. Our military should only be deployed when there is no other option.

Donna Marshall, Wilmington, DE (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:29 PM)

Joe Scarborough makes important observations. I couldn't be farther away from him politically on most points But he makes a great point about both sides...say it like it is. We are tired of wordsmithing in order to get YOUR way - whatever side of the isle you sit on.

Teena Dannibale, Shippensburg, PA (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:29 PM)

Ms Pelosi actions should come from respect and sheer adherence to the hightest protocall to the position she was elected. You needn't worry how the other guy is acting, rise above and set the example, then, double standards don't mean anything to you. You have set the standard....

gregg brown, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:40 PM)

so who cares??? people are dying because of our mistakes!!! and you worry about lights? shame!

Lynne Hutton (Sent Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:55 PM)

I simply have no problem with Pelosi other than a feeling that she needs to change her contact lenses ... NO one needs to blink every second. What I missed in this speach was a "state of the union". What I heard was a list of proposals from Mr Bush. Several of these sounded nice but they were the same old concerns that we, as Americans, have faced for years ... too bad he couldn't bring himself to actually say "global warming". The obvious flaws were Bush's statements that "no child left behind" is working (it is simply eleminating some schools that cannot function without federal funding from the ones counted in the stats), the implication that Sunnis are all terrorists (most persons of Arab descent in America are Sunni as are most of the Arab nations), and the idea that a tax credit for health insurance will help the common American (those who have employer sponsored insurance already receive a tax break with pre-tax contributions and the uninsured really cannot afford insurance ... how about a federally funded policy?). All in all, not a bad speach. Too bad it turned into an another political plug and didn't give us a state of the union.

Mike McCutchen, Ypsilanti, MI (Sent Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:01 AM)

Yes, a woman in the white house would be nice, however how about one with morals! Our President has done a wonderful job in my opinion. Unfortuneatly the enemies are like cockroaches, kill 10 and you got 1000 more. It is a sad country that we live in were the public doesn't stand behind our soldiers and our commander and chief. Everyone has comments on what Bush is doing wrong but no one can come up with a better plan. Well with the exception of everyone wanting the troops home now. No wonder the teens of today have no respect for authority. If there is no follow through why should they worry about doing the right thing?

Tina F. Warren Ma (Sent Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:38 AM)

If Bush hadn't spent 400 billion unilaterally on this war and spent that much on alternative energy the country would be much better off and this is one expense future generations would be glad to pay.

Joe, Chicago, IL (Sent Wednesday, January 24, 2007 12:43 AM)

That comment about teens having no respect for authority it such an unintelligent statement to say. I am a teenager and I have the highest respect for authority. How can you tie supporting Bush and how you think ALL teenagers act? Its people like you who make teenagers have no respect for authority in the first place. You are so disconnected from reality. Before you start making assumptions about how all teenagers act (who will one day have a say on how your life will be like in the future), grow up. For the good of this country, grow up

Tim Weiss, Folsom, CA (Sent Wednesday, January 24, 2007 1:40 AM)

The democrats can be as upset as they want to be. They can ridicule the president. They can vote to cut off the funds for IRAQ thus ending support for the war; what they can't do is not support our troops. Cut the funds = cut and run; bring the troops home and let IRAQ have their civil war.

Mike Thompson, Colorado Springs, CO (Sent Wednesday, January 24, 2007 4:46 PM)

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