Wikileaks and the Pro-Democracy Movement in the Middle East

One cannot help but take note of the fact that the unrest in the middle east that is geared toward democracy is taking place following some substantial revelations about the very countries that are experiencing unrest.

State of the Union - The Sky Brightens

A State of the Union Address is not - as a rule - a time for details and nuance. Nor should one expect the response to contain a lot of substance. Rather they are an opportunity to present a vision of the days ahead to the American people. When they “sing” it is because they have been well crafted and they speak to the issues that matter to us.

By that measure both the President’s address and the Republican response were right on the mark. Not because I agreed with everything that either President Obama or Represnetative Paul Ryan said but because they presented their visions clearly and well to the people - elevating the dialog and engaging with one another.

Over the next few days I will blog my observations about the details of the statements – and there is much to be said. For now, let it be said that there is every reason to believe that the price paid by the fallen in Tuscon was not in vain and that their sacrifice may have lighted a candle whose luminance has shown us a path by which we may begin to emerge from an accursed darkness