Reflections on Israel's Elections

++Ed Kilgore trusts his sources and thinks Bibi stands the best chance of forming a coalition. 

++Josh Marshall says Israeli exit polls are better than here and that Bibi made a huge comeback. But that comeback came at the expense of gutting the far right parties. He sees maximum coalition of 63 mandates for a Likud led party.

++The BBC thinks a Bibi led coalition only has 1 to 2 years lifespan because parties will drop out over his abrasive governing style.

++If a national unity government were created, the Arab List would become the single major opposition party as it came in third. And will not be allowed to join a coalition of either the right or left.

++A Bibi-led coalition would doom any peace talks with the Palestinians. Not so sure for any Iranian nuclear deal.

Reacts to Bibi's speech

++Josh Marshall says same old, same old but for the reference that you can google the details of the deal on line. This was a reference to the threat by the Obama Administration about leaking info. on the deal.

++Ed Kilgore quotes a Peter Beinert tweet that this was a Bibi speech without any mention of a negotiating process, two state solution or anything of relevance. Kilgore was sort of surprised that Bibi could dictate the issues he would speak about.

++Why I think Bibi spoke about Iran exclusively is that the GOP no longer has any credible people to speak on foreign policy and Bibi was as good as they could get.

++Jake Topper said it was an effective speech.

++Diane Feinstein said there were no solutions. Nancy Pelosi said it was an insult to the American people and Congress that they didn't know what kind of threat Iran was and that didn't have knowledge of the situation.

++Ted Cruz said the Obama Administration knows nothing about Iran.

++Christine Amapour said the speech was "dark and strangelovian."

++Ed Kilgore notes that Bibi suggesting that Iran was bluffing was not the greatest gambit to use since Bibi actually encouraged brinkmanship by the United States and felt that in his experience that isn't the way to negotiate.

++A blogger tweeted that "He hated the speech even more since W gave it in 2003."

++Civil rights legend John Lewis ,who boycotted the speech, said, "it was an insult to his president."

He Brought Everything To the Table

++ED Kilgore liked how he put together the middle class initiatives with panache. He also notes that President Obama used the Pentagon as authority on the effects of climate change and the need to deal with it now. Kilgore was surprised that President Obama suggested the need for a new Authorization to Use Force against ISIS. I am glad of this.

++The Democratic reactions were summed up with the line,"He brought everything to the table." Democratic Underground comments suggested this was President obama's best State of the Union speech ever. The constant dissenting note was one about the trade pacts. 

++Consensus best line,"I know because I won both of them", referring to President Obama's response to the Republican app;wise he was not running again.

++First time, "lesbian","Bisexual" and "transgender" used in a State of the Union Speech. 

++The Daily Kos kept its eyes on the Republican responses. It noticed no applause on Obama talking about bringing the deficit down. The only standing ovations on the GOP side were when the President mentioned veterans. No response to the President on his statement about Americans fighting Ebola,after all that was their mid-term issue. It noticed the lull with Iran. Ed Kilgore thinks Obama was holding back news about a breakthrough. That's why he said war was a last resort.

++Joni Ernst regaled us with her upbringing on an Iowa farm and gave comedians some openings. She painted a story of people struggling, losing their health insurance and having to struggle with Obamcare. She also mentioned the Keystone XL pipeline as a total infrastructure project. She called it a jobs bill. Observers said that Joni Ernst looked like a Stepford Wife but at least didn't have the crazy eyes of Michelle Bachmann. The GOP message is of gloom and doom . It seems Reagan's sunny disposition has long been forgotten.

++There were also four other alternative state of the unions. Even Rand Paul of his own YOUTUBE channel.

++What tomorrow will miss is President Obama's emphasis on women, equal pay, child care and choice. Even the "liberals" in the media will neglect it.
But expect Hillary Clinton to seize on this when she announces.

++ I was surprised by his vow to veto attempts to water down the regulations governing banks and Wall Street. He already let the regulations on derivatives slide.

++I don't expect much from Congress on any of these things. I agree with Andrew Sullivan that President Obama laid out a Democratic platform for the future. He also warned that he would take measures to prevent the GOP from reversing the progress made.