State of the Union 2006

President Bush gave a great State of the Union address last night. Although he didn't bring up any risky topics or state many concrete goals, his speech was dignified and pleasant. It was fun to see Justice Alito looking in wonder at the majestic room and chatting with his new colleagues. One of my favorite parts of the speech was when Bush pointed out that in 1945, there were only 24 democracies in the world, but now there are 122. It's inspiring to think that Bush was responsible for creating two of these 122 democracies. Here are some of Bush's most eloquent quotes from last night:

• "And there is no honor in retreat. By allowing radical Islam to work its will -- by leaving an assaulted world to fend for itself -- we would signal to all that we no longer believe in our own ideals, or even in our own courage. But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil. "
• "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning. "
• "Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity. "
• "And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran. "
• "America is always more secure when freedom is on the march."

The only thing Bush said that was slightly offensive was his comment that many people, especially parents, are concerned about America's deteriorating culture. Single, celibate people are more chaste than parents, and therefore are more likely than parents to oppose the sexualization of the culture. There was also a slight "Bushism" when the president said that "it is a privilege to serve the values that gave us birth." I found that sentence weird and amusing. Overall, however, Bush's State of the Union was eloquent and inspiring. He certainly has a distinct style -- one that I truly respect.

For the whole speech, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006.