hegemony rules

I can't believe that GWB spent time discussing the "sancity of marriage" in his State of the Union address. Why, oh why, is this even an issue? You'd think that the GOP would love the fact that homosexuals want to get married, since they're usually going on and on about the importance of family values. But, Bush decided to rail against it in his speech:

A strong America must also value the institution of marriage....Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.

He also called for more funding for abstinence programs. Shouldn't we be spending money on things that actually take into account the fact that according to a 2001 survey conducted by the CDC, over 45% of teenagers reported having had sexual intercourse and 33% admitted to being sexually active currently? (At least, those are the ones who actually admit to having had sex in the last few months, and it's interesting to note that this number varies dramatically depending on the race and ethnicity of the individuals surveyed. Also, I'm guessing that a lot of teens are engaging in other risky sexual behavior besides intercourse - something else to which we seem to be turning a blind eye.) Shouldn't we give them the information they need to protect themselves and their partners from STDs and pregnancies? Again, you'd think GOP would be all over this since it would likely mean fewer abortions, but...I guess not.

Also, his reference to a child's letter he had received recently was ridiculously trite:

Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter. It began, "Dear George W. Bush." "If there is anything you know, I Ashley Pearson age 10 can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell me what I can do to save our country." She added this P.S.: "If you can send a letter to the troops ... please put, 'Ashley Pearson believes in you.'" Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And yes, you have some duties yourself. Study hard in school, listen to your mom and dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say "thank you." And while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.

(I did sort of enjoy how he accidentally referred to Ashley as being 2 rather than 10 years old - that would be one precocious two-year-old. I also loved how Peter Jennings characterized GWB as being a much better speaker than he was three years ago. Of course, in the pre-show coverage Jennings kept referring to John Kerry as Secretary John Kerry...guess you can't win 'em all.)

I'll be curious to hear how the Democrats respond to Bush's speech.

Update: Tom Brokaw apparently talked to Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) after the Address to get his response, but I only caught the last 10 seconds of the interview - did anyone else see it? What happened?