In the Arena

The Obama Speech

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Was quite good, I thought. Ezra Klein nails it here. In the welter of standard media events and promotions–the White House release of an elaborate pirate tick-tock, for example–there is also a steady effort by the President to speak to us as if we were adults. I’m not sure how much of an impact it’s having, but speeches like this one–and his budget message to the Congress–really raise the level of discourse. You may disagree with his ideas, but he’s not fudging or spinning here. It is a clear, coherent philosophy of governance. And even though none of this is new, it is good to be reminded how all the pieces fit together.