Cass Ballenger: “the pregame analysis about Tuesday night's State of the Union Address was completely on target. All the pundits and…”

“the pregame analysis about Tuesday night's State of the Union Address was completely on target. All the pundits and talking heads agreed that President Clinton would come to Capitol Hill and make a centrist-sounding, middle-of-the-road, warm and fuzzy speech. This time the pundits got it right. The President was his usual split-the-difference self: not too liberal, not too conservative. But there are things that even he missed. Like reality. He said that the era of big government was over. Well, he is right. But not because of anything Bill Clinton has done. In fact, the President has become big government's little buddy. Just this month he vetoed the first major overhaul of the welfare state in a generation. And last year he vetoed the first balanced budget to reach a President's desk since 1969. Mr. Speaker, if this truly is the end of big government, it is only because Republicans in Congress have had the courage to stop Washington liberalism and say ``no'' to Washington spending.”