The State of What Union?

Eloquence is not a characteristic associated with President Donald Trump, but in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, the president not only rose to the occasion, he also delivered a message that was beautifully crafted by his speechwriters, a speech devoid of much of the divisive and combative language that has characterized his first two years in office. It was also well-delivered and well-received, if not by every member of Congress, then by 76 percent of those who watched it, according to a CBS News instant poll.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of anything changing in Congress is less than nil. Democrats mostly sat on their hands, or smirked and shook their heads in response. The partisan divide that characterizes modern Washington is not likely to be bridged by a single speech. Most likely this was an address designed to enhance the president's re-election prospects. If that was the goal, it may have served him well.

Some viewers may have been surprised that the president directly and with conviction addressed the pro-life issue in light of New York's newly passed Reproductive Health Act, which protects a woman's access to abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's defense of a proposed bill that would, writes the Washington Times, "...allow abortion up until the moment of childbirth." Trump called on Congress to prohibit late-term abortions, which is not likely to happen, but kudos for him saying "all children, born and unborn, are made in the holy image of God."