Diario Libre editor Adriano Tejada summed up the Presidential address of last Friday, casting two friends, Red and White (PRD and PRSC party colors), together to hear the speech’s delivery. With a little portable radio to share in case the lights went out, the two laughed at the camera shots, such as when Mejia referred to corruption and the camera focused on Pedro Franco Badia, former head of RENOVE, and when everybody stood to applaud, the lens found PLD Deputy Jose Tomas Perez in his seat. In the end, Red told White: “I didn’t understand the President. He spoke of things he didn’t need to talk about and he didn’t say anything about what he should have.” White chastised: “Ah, you just want to criticize, compadre. It was a short speech, as he prefers to do, and he defended his re-election bid and the decisions he has made.” Red: “Yeah, but he didn’t say anything about the IMF, which could be viewed as a good deal, nor did he address the free trade talks with the United States, or his role in the Haitian crisis, where Dominican armed forces have played an important role. Could it be that he is uncomfortable with these decisions?” says Red with a smug look on his face. White answers: “What I didn’t like was the fact that he read with his head down like a bull about to charge. Was this a subliminal-message or just a miscue?”