Or rather, on the speech about it, I agree with George Will (and Bryan Preston):
Between Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, no one delivered this in person. They sent the report to Congress in writing. But, now we’ve turned this into this panorama. In which an interminable speech, every president, regardless of party — tries to stroke every erogenous zone in the electorate and it becomes a political pep rally, to use the phrase of Chief Justice [John] Roberts last year. If it’s going to be a pep rally with the president’s supporters of whatever party standing up and bringing approval and histrionic pouting on the part of the other, then it’s no place for the judiciary, no place for the uniformed military, and no place for non-adolescent legislators.
I wonder what the reaction would be if the president didn’t make the speech? Not that this president would ever pass up an opportunity to make a speech, of course. It’s his only area of semi-competence.
[Update a few minutes later]
The Republicans who agreed to take part in this are like hacky sacks: easy to kick around and they get played by liberals.
I was never into proms myself, but I can see how a politician would be desperate if he couldn’t get a date.