The "Preaction" To State Of The Union Address (SOTU)

President George W. Bush: Once Again Pre-Judged

Already the buzz about what the POTUS (President of the United States) will say during his SOTU address next week has been around the Capitol block several times in the past couple of weeks. It could be argued that President Bush already gave a preview by his announcement earlier this month on his new direction for Iraq.

Needless to say, the American public, the media and the Washington politicians have been offering their two-bits in response to his Iraq speech ever since.

What troubles me most, however, is how we take for granted that we can voice our opposition to the President's plan as we do. If this were Russia or Venezuela, the media almost immediately would have been canned. Then any politicians would have been "removed" or "resigned" for other undisclosed reasons. Let us not even entertain what would happen to any citizens in the general public who dissented.

I don't bring this up as just a guilt trip on my fellow Americans, only as a reminder that the global community is not as easy-going when it comes to expressing opinions as in our own country. I also bring this reminder up because I am concerned that when we so openly display our stark divisions to the world, we also expose our weaknesses to other nations and groups who are very strongly (even if wrongly or fanatically) united in their respective beliefs or causes.

Already there are politicians in Washington proclaiming that the POTUS "had better say something about" this or that, "or else". How unfortunate, we are already prone to judging a man before he has yet to make a formal address. Since when do politicians show their playing cards before the dealer has yet to finishing dealing?