Last Night's Speech, Today's Press Conference

I watched both, paying much more attention to last evening's speech than today's presser. My opinion? The President did a pretty good job. I'm one of many who wishes the President had the eloquence of a Tony Blair or a Winston Churchill. Still, even if the man stumbles all-too-frequently on his words, I admire the force of his will and his tenacity. Those qualities go a long way towards making up for his speaking deficiencies.

Some good discussion on last night's speech and today's press conference:

Lori Byrd, over at PoliPundit. Don't miss her comments on today's press conference, either. Good links to follow, too.

Betsy Newmark has great comments-on-a-comment, here. She takes exception to the hyperbolic "police state" rhetoric flowing out of the pages of the press these days. Sample:

If a reporter, even a TV reporter, can't see the difference between the Patriot Act and how the Ba'athists or Zarqawi supporters would crush dissent, then the guy should take a break from writing while he goes out and finds a clue. I would point out to Mr. Shales that the so-called "draconian" Patriot Act has been in effect for over four years and I haven't noticed that dissent against Bush has been crushed. Could Mr. Shales please point out all those who, opposing Bush and the war in Iraq, have been arrested, thrown in a dungeon, tortured, had their tongues ripped out, their families attacked, and daughters raped?

Those dissenters are in one of The Chimp's secret European prisons, no doubt. Wise up, Betsy!

Michelle Malkin live-blogged the presser. Once again, a collection of good links to follow, incuding a transcript of the press conference.

That should keep ya busy for a while!