Last night marked a unique event the history of the SOTU. The response was a real speech. Jim Webb spoke for the Democrats the way an opposition party should. But it was not just a counter-point to Bush's policies. He stood as a sharp contrast to the man himself. He was a kind of anti-Bush.

Whatever the spinmeisters are making of this speech, it was far more than a military man stating clear opposition to the debacle in Iraq. It was a refutation of the entire Bush Presidency; and of the direction the country has been moving in for some time with bipartisan complicity. What none of the pundits seem to want to talk about is Jim Webb's populism. He speaks like a man of the people and about the issues that effect all of us, with an empathy that comes from having lived the life of an average American.

When Jim Webb spoke about taking the picture of his active-duty father to bed with him every night, I don't think there was a parent listening who didn't feel a visceral pang. I know I did. I know my husband did. We thought of our own daughter staring mystified from her car seat as he boarded a plane to Iraq.

Here in the Fifth Year Of Our Bush (YOOB^TM), the President in Command is about to tell the faithful American citizenry what's what in his annual State of the Corporation address.  For those wondering, profits are up, human resource expenses are down, and the debt is well hidden from the stockholders.

We here at Central White House Command know how hard it has been for all of you to wait patiently for the Blessing of Bush tonight.

Well, we've got what you need, just over that there flip...

Here is the text of Cindy Sheehan's statement as published at DailyKos.com:

Dear Friends,

As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.

I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.

There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:

This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt that said: 2245 Dead. How many more?

After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the ticket and I didn't want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans Against the War. However, Lynn's office had already called the media and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.

I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the undergroud tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again.

My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.

Continued over the flip...

"So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy"

 -- George W. Bush's proposal for Energy Independence, State of the Union Address, January 31, 2006

Wow! a 22% increase! That's fantastic. I can feel our Middle East oil dependence shrinking as I write this.

Four more years!
Four more years!
Four more years!

Wait... you mean that's not enough? It's what?... a "speed-bump increase in the spending of research in a single government department.  This is Bush's entire plan for cutting our ties to foreign oil."

Whoa. I see what you're saying. That doesn't really amount to anything at all, does it.

Well, I heard through that grapevine (and this is just a rumor) that the administration and all their buddies in industry and on K-Street are moving toward a STRONG endorsement of this Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence.

Broken-hearted.  Bewildered.  Betrayed.  Bereft.

That's the emotional state of much of the Union.

Contrast that with the Bush view, recently expressed on his junket in Kansas City:

"You can't lead the nation, you can't make good decisions, unless you're optimistic about the future."

Two views, or two Americas?