President Obama gave his final State of the Union Address, and the reviews were divided along political lines. Democrats found it a strong look back and steady look forward. Republicans said it was make believe.
This week we are adding another voice to our report card, Examiner contributor and former Pentagon official Jed Babbin. He will join with our original grader, pollster and author John Zogby, for a type of point, counterpoint analysis of the president’s week.
First up, our regular John Zogby who finds that Obama’s State of the Union address was one of the president’s best speeches yet.
“A wistful president looked ahead to his last year while reviewing his past seven. He was speaking to a Congress that he lost in 2010 and 2014 and smaller audience at home than ever before for a State of the Union. He ignored some elephants in the room — Americans taken hostage by Iran, his own invitees in the first lady’s gallery — but he listed his accomplishments and the necessary changes that still lie ahead.
“To me he played the role of an elder statesman who said that he would not waste his last year in office. To opponents he fell flat. It was a legacy speech, one of the best he delivered during his tenure, and one where he admitted some of his own failings and lot of those of his opposition. There are no more big bumps to get in the polls, but his numbers went up.”
Grade — B
Next, new contributor Jed Babbin who found the speech part illusion, part delusion:
“It’s really hard for any president to not win SOTU week, but President Obama managed to lose this one. Not only are people fed up with his executive actions (reportedly 80 percent opposed on gun sale restrictions) people are tuning him out, a prominent symptom of lame-duckism. Obama’s last SOTU drew fewer viewers than any of the previous seven.
“The 59-minute speech was comprised of equal parts of illusion (claiming credit for things that haven’t been accomplished) and delusion (saying America is stronger now than when he came to office). Late in the speech, he said that “unarmed truth” and “unconditional love” always had ‘the final word.’ That may be true where his mind is, but not on this planet.
“The capture of 10 American sailors by Iran could have been a disaster for Obama. With the sailors’ quick release (motivated not by brilliant diplomacy but by the pending release of about $50 billion to Iran that might have been delayed if the sailors were held), the incident became a minor positive for Obama that turned negative when Iran publicized pictures of American sailors on their knees surrendering.”
Grade: C-
John Zogby is the senior analyst for Zogby Analytics and author (with Joan Snyder Kuhl) of “The First Globals: Understanding, Managing, and Unleashing our Millennial Generation.” Follow him at @TheJohnZogby
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
