So about that optimism thing...
I didn't watch the State of the Union speech, but I read it and laughed out loud. Here's what I learned from the noble words of our cheerleader-in-chief:

1. "Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy." Damn, that was almost profound. Except that it wasn't.

2. We're going to war with Iran.

"If this country were to become isolationist and withdraw and say we don't care about conditions of life elsewhere, we're not only ceding the ground to terrorists, we're not doing our duty as a compassionate nation." So we're blowing people up out of compassion. It all makes sense now.

"...and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats." Rah, rah, sis-boom-bah, blow those guys to Fal-lu-jah! Um, which world is it we've been rallying? Britain and Poland?

3. We're addicted to oil! I had no idea.

"the Advanced Energy Initiative — a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy..." 22%? Sounds really advanced.

"...we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants; revolutionary solar and wind technologies; and clean, safe nuclear energy." Mm, those tasty coal-fired plants. Tastes great with that wood-fired corn which we use to make "ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, stalks, or switch grass." Clearing all that brush at the ranch has really enhanced his enthusiasm for clean energy.

3. Next on the Liberal Agenda: Centuars!!
"Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research — human cloning in all its forms ... creating or implanting embryos for experiments ... creating human-animal hybrids..."
What is this guy talking about??

4. "Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage." Now that is just bad poetry.

Other news: Alito is in. RIP Coretta Scott King. Yay for the Academy for nominating thoughtful, liberal films. The Peru/Yale controversy made the NYT. And the world turns.