Take Me To The River. . .

(Take Me To The River. . .)

That is a song from alternative rockers, The Talking Heads. The "river" in this case is the Rhine, the last natural barrier the Allies faced in 1945. As things turned out, on March 7th, units of the 9th Armored Division seized the town of Remagen, and found, intact, the Ludendorff railway bridge. A span over the Rhine River that had not yet been destroyed by retreating Germans. The loss of the Ludendorff was a catastrophe and even a V-2 rocket targeted the span. In any event, the Allied capture of a Rhine crossing advanced their time-table by at least three weeks.

President Biden will be delivering the State of the Union this evening. It is like the 9th Armored before the Ludendorff bridge was taken. Biden is necessarily compromised. Assuming he manages a "stable" performance tonight, he in all likelihood would not be able to debate Donald Trump. That being said, Biden's SOTU will be more important as there is the over-riding issue of border security. But any announcement of an Executive Order on the border will not be forthcoming. The litany of crimes committed against Americans by Illegal aliens is appalling. The murder of Laken Riley and all the other instances of illegal migrant crime.

Which the President will avoid mentioning. There will be series of issues that Biden will mention. He will push "Bidenomics" though it has been a failure. It will be interesting to see what the President will say about Israel, will suggest another cease fire. He will bed bragging on what he has done to combat climate change. Biden will also make his standard "class warfare" argument, promoting a hike in the corporate tax rate. He will say how he plans to handle China.

All standard fare. But the biggest portion of the speech will be a warning about Donald Trump. He will rail endlessly of the dangers of another Trump Presidency. He will claim that the restoration of his predecessor, like a Stuart, will reverse so many of his policies, the ones that have failed.

Taking the bridge at Remagen presented the Allies with an opportunity to cross an obstacle with minimal loss. President Biden could have a similar chance this evening. People know what he needs to say. Whether he says them, remains to be seen.