Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

January 30, 2003

No Heroes In The Balcony

A reader writes with an interesting obervation about President Bush's State of the Union address: "I was most surprised (and can't remember the last time) that the President did not personally recognize and/or acknowledge the First Lady for her 'contributions' to America. In fact, there were no 'Lenny' moments. Bush failed to recognize anyone seated around the First Lady."

Editor's Note: The reader refers to Lenny Skutnik, who jumped into the freezing Potomac River to rescue victims of a plane crash, and was recognized by President Reagan in his 1982 speech.

Meanwhile, the Reliable Source notes that at a White House media briefing, Bush teased ABC News This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos about his days at Bill Clinton's side: "I'm prepared. I'm not the kind of guy who's going to sit in the back of the limo on the way to the Capitol and rewrite my speech. Know what I mean, George?"

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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