Obama actually says that the tax cut will go into effect “on April 1.” Boy, I would have tried to avoid a reference that date. No mention of the size of that tax cut, the gargantuan $13 a week.
Mentioning the enormous responsibility to make sure the money is well spent, Obama says not to worry because he’s put Vice President Biden in charge of watching over it. He honest-to-God says, as an applause line:
“Nobody messes with Joe.”
The problem is, at the moment he’s supposed to look tough and stern, the Vice President is almost giggling. He’s not helping his tough-guy image with the gleeful choppers. He and Pelosi are almost mugging. Obama can always bring a seriousness to the moment, but with both Biden and Pelosi, there’s a certain . . . goofiness? Irrepressible glee? Their emotion is always too close to the surface?
UPDATE: From a reader: No one in human history has ever before uttered the words, “This has to be done right, so I’m putting Joe Biden in charge.”
ANOTHER UPDATE: From Newt Gingrich, via Twitter, who knows a thing or two about sitting behind the president during national addresses: “‘Nobody messes with Joe’ and the smiles and Nancy handshake resembled a Democratic pep rally, not a state of the union — sophomoric and silly.”