Words Not Spoken in Obama State of Union Speak Volumes Too: View

By now, his critics, his defenders and a few in between have had their way with what the president said Tuesday in his State of the Union address. But what didn’t the president say?

This was Barack Obama’s speech, and what he left out is as revealing as what he put in it. After all, the State of the Union is a statement of priorities. On this night, the weight or importance of an issue can actually be measured in words. To our ears, there were too few about the structural changes, many of them global, shaping American competitiveness and economic well-being.