SOTU

I thought it was a good speech.  It got a little dull in the second half, but a strong finish: "We do big things!"  I liked the emphasis on the future and our strenths, like innovation.  Loved the emphasis on education, but of course light on details. 

There's plenty for liberals to object to, and I object to some of it, but he mentioned DADT and the Dream Act, so I strongly approve of that.  And said lets fix more things about healthcare but move on from here, not backwards.

Other thoughts ~

Loved the bipartisan seating arrangements, which may be only symbolic, but a good symbol.  Loved the purple ties - I noticed Boehner and Cantor, but I'm sure there were more.  Loved the ribbons in honor of Gabby Giffords.  Loved Obama's jokes about salmon regulation and about trains - "no patdowns."

Didn't hate the Republican response by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).  At least he said "hold us all accountable for spending" instead of just blaming Obama for everything.  Fascinated by Michelle Bachman's alternate response.  Not sure she did herself any favors, but I will say that she sounded like less of a crazy person than usual.