United States, this is the first speech of the rest of your life.

First, a confession. I only caught the second half of President Obama's speech to Congress. Last night I made the critical decision to choose art over politics, and went to a dance performance at the Kennedy Center which landed me in front of my TV at 9:30 instead of 9.

Of the portion I did see, however, I was at once pleased with the eloquence and attention of the speaker (I always felt that President Bush seemed as though he would rather be somewhere else), and in general I agreed with what he said. I did have some specific observations:

• Serious: The standout bit of the speech, for me, was when President Obama called on every citizen of the country to complete some form of post-secondary education. I found it powerful that he called for this not only as a commitment to oneself, but to the country. I am excited to be living in an era that is now committed to education. I hope that this moment resonated with other listeners as well.
  
  
• Less serious: Nancy Pelosi was very excited. Joe Biden could hardly keep up with all of her jumping up and down to applaud different parts of the speech.
  
  
• Serious: Agribusiness - Obama mentioned that he might be against giving huge subsidies to large agriculture firms. Is he serious? If so, I say - huzzah! But only time will tell.
  
  
• Less serious: Michelle Obama looked strong, and, powerful, and stunning. Yes, I have drunk the kool-aid Vogue sipped this month.
  

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