State of the Union

Here is why you should bother watching. This President so rarely (in a comparative sense) speaks or holds news conferences addressing the entire nation that the opportunity of hearing it from the horses mouth should be taken advantage of.

I know there are a lot of you bleed GWB and others of you who can't even look at the man. In any case the next few days we will be inundated by "spin" from administration officials, pundits, reporters, and blogs about what the President said or didn't say. Seeing and hearing things for yourself is vital in deciphering the good analysis from the bad. Filtering the "spin" through your first hand account of hearing the President for yourself is the only honest and authentic way of analyzing what the President says the state of our Union is.

Of course you could also turn it into a drinking game. In that case I am sure Bush will start making a lot more sense as the night goes on.

My Analysis: The big thought I had after the State of the Union is, the Presidency of George W. Bush as we have known it is over. Gone are the ambitious policy agendas and in it's place are broad statements of ideology that lack specific policy initiatives. Last year it was social security, immigration reform, tax simplification, debt reduction, etc. All of those things were blocked or defeated in congress. All I really picked up on is a reduction in discretionary spending and call for a different oil strategy. Bush's political capital has been spent (more correctly wasted) and now he must be conciliatory and reach out to compromise with congress and the Democrats if he wants to get anything of substance accomplished.

With a thousand days left in office Iraq, Katrina, wiretapping are the big millstones around his neck. We'll see how much longer he can keep his head above water.