Things Left Unsaid

I don't meant to be petty, but the best part of William Rivers Pitt's assessment of the State of the Union, responding to Bush's self-congratulatory list of accomplishments, is this:

At one point during the reading of this fiduciary laundry list, Bush demanded fiscal responsibility from the government. A roving camera caught House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi bursting into laughter when that line came across.

Pettiness aside, Pitt writes a superb piece on what the Prez failed to mention:

• Osama bin Laden

• On linking Iraq to al-Qaeda:"He failed to mention that Hussein is a secular dictator who has spent the last thirty years crushing Islamic fundamentalism in Iraq, failed to mention the death threats levied against him by al Qaeda, and failed to mention the absolute fact that Hussein would never be so stupid as to give weapons or aid to blood enemies."

•"He proposed the development of cleaner energy technology while increasing energy reliance at home, but failed to explain that this was code for the despoiling of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge."

• After proposing $1.2 billion in spending to develop hydrogen-powered automobiles, he "failed to explain how he can afford any of this, and likewise failed to parse the hypocrisy of touting hydrogen cars while his new tax plan provides tens of thousands of dollars worth of write-offs for owners of gas-guzzling SUVs."

•"He spoke of holding corporate criminals to account, failing to mention the incredible number of Enron executives - including his beloved Kenny-Boy - who still walk free and clear across the nation they defiled with their fraud and deceit."

•And much, much, much more.