Tuesday SOTU Open Thread [2/12/2013]

President Obama is delivering his State of the Union Address tonight and the usual suspects are spinning up expectations and related goo. DD covered a report from Politico that noted that President Obama won't be extending any olive branches to Republicans this year, and I have been listening to NPR a decent portion of the morning and they are repeating the same thing. What I don't hear is WHY the President should be extending olive branches to a party who works hard at not cooperating in the business of government. I suspect it is the same old -- Democrats are supposed to cooperate and Republicans get a pass on obstructing (with the excuse of sticking to their principles). Anyone else noticing this narrative?

The Olympics are bullshit – this seals it

Because the United States needs another gold medal in wake boarding - the IOC has cut wrestling. You wouldn't know it from our crappy TV coverage of wall-to-wall beach volleyball, but in London 29 countries won medals in wrestling. It is a popular, truly international, sport. But they needed space to add indoor rock climbing to the lineup.