By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Two years ago, she came out spitting fire.

Twenty-five paragraphs of Linda Lingle's first State of the State speech started with the word "I."

Yesterday, a very different Linda Lingle addressed the state Legislature.

She used the word "I" at the start of only eight paragraphs. Yes, the speech was shorter, but it had a whole different tone as well.

If Ben Cayetano was the bulldog governor, Linda Lingle in her first months on the job was a lion. She staked out her turf, marked her enemies for the kill and let it be known to all who was calling the shots in the jungle.

This 2005 model Linda Lingle, struggling with a voice hoarse from traveling, was a conciliatory cat, offering up proposals that sounded decidedly Democratic in philosophy.

Two years ago, her speech centered on delivering a swift kick to what she portrayed as a corrupt and inept state government. She railed about dismantling the behemoth public-school bureaucracy. She spoke passionately about doling out huge tax credits to wealthy developers in the name of growing the local economy. She gave notice of big battles to come.

This time, Lingle talked of more modest plans; plans much more likely to sit well with Bobby Bunda, Cal Say and their friends. Lingle talked about tax credits for the lower and middle class, affordable housing and an early childhood education initiative. She didn't get around to mentioning tax breaks for businesses and tightening up Hawai'i's workers' compensation system until the middle of the speech, and there was no rostrum-pounding or fist-waving when she did.

So what happened to the big cat?

She wasn't able to deliver Hawai'i to the GOP in the last election after all.

She wasn't able to put more Republicans into the Legislature despite running strong campaigns against a number of weak Democrats.

She wasn't able to bully through her big plans for breaking up public school governance into local school boards.

Two years ago, Lingle confidently started out her speech by saying folks should hold their applause to a minimum during her comments or "we might end up still being here live at 6:30 tonight."

She didn't do that this time. She didn't have to. It wasn't a very rousing speech.

"Not many expected that the first year or two with a new governor would go very smoothly, and the public has been patient with us. The people have given us a couple years to get to know each other and now they want results," Lingle said near the close of her speech. "They want leaders who compromise to achieve common goals."

What a difference two years of rumbling in the jungle has made to this cat. She learned she has to play nicely with the other animals after all.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.