I have to admit that in the flurry of grins, applause and tight speech transitions, President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night stirred up in me good feelings.
The idle satisfaction didn't last long, as I settled in my seat for a round of Congressional and Democratic responses.
After the applause quieted, political elbows were quickly thrown in criticism and another resounding call for change, focused on the fighting in Iraq.
Listening to one vehement critic after another, I was finally pushed over the edge. Not sure before of my outlook on the remainder of Bush's presidency, I now am ready for the inevitable change to come.
I am ready so that all the loud, tireless voices of the past few years can finally put their money and votes where their mouths are.
President Bush may have more than another year and a half in office, but his clout is quickly dwindling. Bush's opponents have been emboldened by this change and, in their pomp, are not softening their blows.
The congregation of these voices shows how easy it is to criticize the person on top. In Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's official comments, between dire stares and a broad smile, she addressed the "grave concern" of our national security, listing three key elements of the Democratic Party's concerns in Iraq.
Her list: responsibility needs to be transferred to Iraqis, the Iraqi economy needs to be accelerated and regional diplomacy must be intensified.
Speaking with the somberness of drastic reform, she laid this plan out - as if such overarching, sweeping goals are not involved in our country's current efforts.
Indeed, it is easy to point with fervor when you are looking in at such a monstrous job. But efforts get complicated when you stop dealing with a lame duck administration and start dealing with the individual mouths and rifles, marketplaces and battles of a country mauled by constant conflict.
I have been hesitant in fear of the mess of power transfer during such a complex, deeply entrenched situation, compounded by the civil and cooperative immaturity of our federal government. Also opposed to propositions for a reckless withdraw, I held on in support of a person promising not to leave until Iraq was secure.
But I am finished holding out. The Bush administration is on the way out, new crowds will be pushing and pleading for their way in and the American vote will go somewhere.
I hope the zeal for a White House office does not in the slightest soften the appreciation of the mess you will be stepping into. And for all your talk during the comfortable time of a lame presidency, you had better step up and get things done.
Whoever takes office had better quickly set aside any self-congratulations and show me and the American public that their rhetoric was not just to win, but to take their turn at managing the heavy burden of federal responsibility.
We will be waiting to see their seriousness and resolve then in stabilizing our country's involvement in the lives of other countries and peoples, making secure our lives at home and raising the United States up as the model of national identity and global involvement it should be.
Matthew Bowman is an English literature senior. He can be reached at: matthew.bowman@asu.edu.
