State of the Nation Word Play

The New York Times offers a fun application that compares President Bush's word usages in his several State of the Union addresses. For example, he used the word Afghanistan 13 times in 2002 and 4 times in 2007.

I plugged in "lawyer," and found that it has appeared in two of the addresses. In 2003:

The American system of medicine is a model of skill and innovation - with a pace of discovery that is adding good years to our lives. * * * Instead of bureaucrats, and trial lawyers, and HMOs, we must put doctors, and nurses, and patients back in charge of American medicine.

And in 2005:

Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit -- so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side.

I also tried "court," and found these these passages:

When it comes to their health, people want to get the medical care they need, not be forced to go to court because they didn't get it. . . . (2001)

Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage. (2004)

Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. . . . (2005)

Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture, and the health of our most basic institutions. They're concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and are discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage. They worry about children in our society who need direction and love, and about fellow citizens still displaced by natural disaster, and about suffering caused by treatable diseases. (2006)

(Aside: I know parents who are concerned about the direction of our culture. They are worried about marriage because they don't have access to it simply because they happen to be the same sex. Some of them were even displaced by Katrina and its aftermath.)

A hopeful society depends on courts that deliver equal justice under the law. * * * I will continue to nominate men and women who understand that judges must be servants of the law, and not legislate from the bench. (2006)

A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of justice. The lives of our citizens across our nation are affected by the outcome of cases pending in our federal courts. We have a shared obligation to ensure that the federal courts have enough judges to hear those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the federal bench. And the United States Senate has a duty, as well, to give those nominees a fair hearing, and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. (2007)

Thanks to John Heywood, who spotted this site and promised "loads of fun for the whole family."