My brief two cents is that Bush was better than expected - though that might be because I had such exceedingly low expectations to begin with. I also think the White House purposefully undersold the foreign policy aspect of the speech. It was longer and much more robust and detailed than we were led to believe. T

hat being said, despite the gracious touch toward Nancy Pelosi in the beginning and the rhetorical flourishes outlining the stakes in the war on terror and the consequences of failure in Iraq, Bush's speech doesn't change anything about the facts on the ground, it won't patch up any relations in Congress, nor will it build much support with him among the public.

I thought Senator Webb did a very good job in offering the Democrats' response. I wouldn't go quite so far to gush like Jay Carney that it was the best response ever, but Senator Webb's rebuttal was well-structured, concise, and clear.

And then, of course, there were the goings on the in chamber which always provide ample fodder. This year Dennis Kucinich stood out by proving he's more of a media whore than anyone ever imagined. At least Sheila Jackson Lee can use the excuse that she's from Texas.

The subtle reactions were often the most interesting: John McCain's wink and smile at Bush's mention of earmark reform, Tom Tancredo's ever-so-subtle frown and shake of the head at Bush' s call for comprehensive immigration reform.

My favorite, however, was the not so subtle gesticulations of Chuck Grassley who popped out of his seat with a huge grin and began pounding his hands together at Bush's mention in support of ethanol. Grassley looked like a five year old who'd been told he gets to spend the entire day at Chuck E. Cheese's.

More than any SOTU in recent memory, last night was a display of the pomp, circumstance, and ritual that we've come to expect of the event, but it was noticeably devoid of any real political significance. President Bush's low approval ratings, the split within his own party on Iraq, and the Democrats' control of both chambers of Congress inevitably made his speech seem lacking in force and substance. It was a decent speech on an historic night with Speaker Pelosi behind his shoulder, but today it's back to the slog for the President.

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