The State of the Union: Together, if Only for a Few Minutes

President Biden brought a cheerleading tone to a normal-ish address for very abnormal times.

When he took office, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. likely hoped that a year later, he could begin his first State of the Union address with an inspirational exhortation about a united country rejecting authoritarianism, provoking standing ovations and flag-waving from both sides of the congressional aisle.

On Tuesday night, he did just that. But the unified country that he spoke about was Ukraine, united for the horrific reason of its brutal invasion by Russia. The standing ovations were for its people. The flags being waved were Ukrainian blue and yellow.

As for American unity — well, it lasted for all of several minutes.