After watching President Obama's speech Tuesday night, I'm really looking forward to his visit to Boise. Obama and his aides must have chosen Boise for a reason. I'm guessing it stems from the last part of his speech, where he pretended to rise above the political discord of Washington, D.C..

If he declares Idaho one of those places that implemented Obamacare while opposing it, it will warm my heart.

(Please, please, please President Obama, talk about Medicaid expansion while you are here; it can only help).

Obama is bound to find other policy choices to impress him. Certainly our tax and spending policies are those that emulate the president's. He would certainly want to encourage the proposed 7.4 percent increase in education spending or the 6.5 percent overall increase in the general fund.

Surely he's excited about Gov. Butch Otter's call to tax the Internet.

He has to be impressed by our Legislature's willingness to "raise revenue" (none dare call it a tax increase) for highways and bridges, an issue he did not address last night. Surely our corporate welfare programs would seem familiar to him.

And Idaho already accepts a great deal of federal money, so the president may believe his proposal for "free" community college would resonate with policymakers.

And so we welcome the president to Idaho. Your message will no doubt find a receptive audience among certain public officials, even if they won't readily admit it.