Associated Press Watch

Here's a lede from the AP in an article covering last night's SOTU speech (hat tip: PoliPundit):

A politically weakened President Bush declared Tuesday night that America must break its long dependence on Mideast oil and rebuked critics of his stay-the-course strategy for the unpopular war in Iraq.

You probably weren't able to detect the nuanced, gentle bias of that lede, were you? That's why you can rely on me, a semi-professional observer of the Associated Press, to read between the lines. Well, maybe not semi-professional, but certainly a diligent amateur.

I wonder how politically weakened President Bush will be after John Paul Stevens retires and his third conservative Supreme Court Justice is confirmed? I'll have to ruminate on that a while. In the mean time, relax and enjoy the muzak.