Standing for Nothing

About halfway into President Bush's State of the Union Address, which up until that time had been interupted aproximately 36 times by applause, the President began a statment about Social Security saying, "Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security...."and the left exploded in a loud and long standing ovation accompanied by cheers and hurrahs. It was the throaty kind of response you would expect to get when someone talks about America's victories or the announcement of a dramatic rescue where human life was for a while held in the balance and then saved.  Some on the left in the chamber thought the response was funny and they responded with big smiles and laughter at the rejection of the President's plan. In essence, their huge response was an affirmation of no action....they literally stood for nothing.

The response should have been very instructive for the American electorate.  It perfectly illustrated the ideologcial bankruptcy that currently characterizes the left in American politics.  Bereft of ideas and inspiration of any kind, the left has long ago retreated to a position of perceived safety in public debate.  They have chosen to build a wall between themselves and the President and simply launch as many firey missles as possible over the wall hoping that one or two will find their mark and bring down the President's agenda.

But for what purpose?  What is their plan past the sinking of the President?  Do they have something to put in the place of the current leadership or, as I strongly suspect, they will simply be content to fight what they call the "right wing agenda" without having any agenda ready to fill the void should they win.

Make no mistake....the left had plenty of opportunity to stand before the Social Security statment.  They could have stood when the President said, "To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of goodwill and respect for one another - and I will do my part.  Tonight the state of our Union is strong -and together we will make it stronger"...but most did not.  I suppose that means they plan to continue their partisan attacks even in the face of any olive branch the President might offer.

They could have stood when the President said, "Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer - so we will act boldly in freedom's cause"...but most did not.  Does this mean the left believes there is no connection between people gaining freedom from terrany and the safety and security of America?

They could have stood when the President said, (speaking of terrorists) "When they murder children at a school in Beslan, or blow up commuters in London, or behead a bound captive, the terrorists hope these horrors will break our will, allowing the violent to inherit the Earth.  But they have miscalculated:  We love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it"....but most did not.  Does this mean the left wing of the Democrat party has decided to join Harry Belefonte, Cindy Sheehan, Danny Glover, and a host of other high profile America haters who have believe the President and the United States are the real terrorist threat to the world?

They could have stood when the President said, "The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will ever surrender to evil" or perhaps when he said, "