I watched some of the SOTU address on NBC tonight, only because I can get it in high definition. Once you see HDTV, old TV looks like a watercolor. I couldn't watch all of it because my daughter called, and frankly, I love her more than I love George W. Tim Russert mentioned that Cindy Sheehan had been invited but had been arrested. Big Brother Bush again, it sounded like. Powerline had this:
The Democrats tried to distract from the substance of President Bush's speech by planting Cindy Sheehan in the House chamber tonight--she was reportedly the guest of a Democrat Congresswoman--but Justice Samuel Alito's presence in the chamber was much more significant. Plus, he lasted longer, as Sheehan was hauled out of the chamber when she tried to unfurl a banner. She is clinging tenaciously to her fifteen minutes.
Its a bit more revealing that Sheehan was removed because she violated the rules of the event. I'm all for protest in any legitimate public forum. But the State of the Union Address is devoted to some specific constitutional business. I note the first clause of Article II, Section 3:
[The President] shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient;
This was the business of the moment. When you see the President of the Senate (the VP) and the Speaker of the House behind the President of the United States as he speaks, you see the words of the Constitution made flesh. This was not a forum for public debate. MSNBC included more detail on their webpage:
Schneider said Sheehan had worn a T-shirt with an antiwar slogan to the speech and covered it up until she took her seat. Police warned her that such displays were not allowed, but she did not respond, the spokeswoman said. The T-shirt bore the words “2,245 Dead — How Many More??” in reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, protesters told NBC News.
Police handcuffed Sheehan and removed her from the gallery before Bush arrived. Sheehan was to be released on her own recognizance, Schneider said.
“I’m proud that Cindy’s my guest tonight,” [Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif] said in an interview before the speech. “She has made a difference in the debate to bring our troops home from Iraq.”
Maybe Sheehan should have appeared with Tim Kaine, who gave the Democrat's response to the SOTU. But of course she might have brought along Hugo Chavez, demagogue-in-chief of Venezuela. I'm sure he would have had some interesting things to say about Bush's speech.
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