President Trump’s congressional address on Tuesday received praise for precisely being…boring. To the point of relief, even.

Our own Becket Adams was not alone in noting this. Trump managed to gain enormous positive publicity by just being sort of presidential, or more presidential than usual. He delivered a speech which, though perfectly consistent with the issue themes he had raised throughout his campaign, lacked the bluster, wildness, unpredictability, name-calling and anger that had become his trademark. The speech was so completely conventional that almost any Republican could have delivered most of it. It was also unusually optimistic for Trump.