With Americans in turmoil over the Vietnam War, Lyndon Johnson framed his 1968 State of the Union Address around this rhetorical question, "Why, then, this restlessness?" Three months later, that same restlessness forced LBJ to abandon his dreams of another term in the White House.
There is no better gauge to the political realities behind a war-time address than the rhetorical questions the president feels compelled to pose. When the Commander in Chief has to ask, "Is the sacrifice worth it?" you can intuit that the war has not been a glorious success. There was also the moment when George W. Bush admitted that some (excessively gung-ho) Americans inquire, "Why don't you send more troops?" Just hearing the president advance that question was another clue that the war was not going exactly as planned.
Equally telling was Bush's sudden need to conjure up the neglected villains of yesteryear to sell his policy. The elusive Osama bin Laden made two appearances in the presidential address, ostensibly to underscore the seamless web of global conflict that America now finds itself battling. In similar fashion, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder -- once shunned as an unperson by an administration enraged by his anti-war rhetoric -- now was hailed as a wise disciple of a stable and democratic Iraq.
A few other oratorical tics were apparent in a speech that was far less rhetorically compelling than many others that have been crafted for this president. (Whatever you think of Bush's policies, Texas accent, mangled pronunciation or off-the-cuff speaking style, most of the major addresses of his presidency have been extremely well-written).
Given that Bush used the phrase "complete the mission" six times in the speech, it is safe to assume that it tests well in focus groups. But the line he used to explain the timetable for American withdrawal ("As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down") came across as far too gimmicky for such a major occasion. Another maladroit sentence was Bush's assertion "that Iraqis are courageous and that they need additional skills." Assessments like "need additional skills" are used to send minority youth into job-training programs, not to describe potential allies.
If Bush's poll numbers jump because of this speech, it will only be because the White House convinced the networks to give him 30 minutes for an address that did not contain any major new policy initiatives. Bush's uncharacteristically flaccid rhetoric will soon be forgotten. And tonight's speech ultimately will be viewed as a lost opportunity in an Iraqi misadventure filled with them.