“What will America look like as we reach our 250th year?” Donald Trump asked Congress at the beginning of his first term as president. His rambling state-of-the-union speech last night provided an answer of sorts. The president, whose net approval rating remains at a record low according to our tracker, offered few new policy ideas. The address is likely to be remembered only for its length, our Lexington columnist writes. 

Inefficiency in a speech will put an audience to sleep. But it has its uses in the office, argues Bartleby. Even when AI can do a task quickly and reasonably well, the human touch can still be worthwhile.