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I have been wondering whether Barack Obama will turn out to be another Jimmy Carter or another Franklin Roosevelt. The least bad option is Carter: a leader whose policies are disastrous for the economy and for US foreign policy, but who ends up being rejected by the American people and voted out of office after only one term--as opposed to a leader like FDR, whose policies are also disastrous, but who ends up being loved by the American people nonetheless and voted back into office. After viewing Obama's speech last night, I am forced to conclude that he has the...

At last night’s State of the Union address, HUMAN EVENTS was on the scene, talking to members from the House and Senate, getting strong reactions from Republicans to the new President’s first speech before a joint session of Congress. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, told me, “I was heartened by the President’s newfound optimism about the American economy. There is nothing quite as encouraging to the American people as having the American President come to the well of Congress and remind us that we’re Americans, we’ll get through this. I also appreciate the President’s call for...

In his final State of the Union address on Monday, President George W. Bush spoke again at length about the war on terror, and the strategic importance of a "free Iraq" in securing a beachhead for freedom and democracy in the Arab heart of the Middle East. Bush reminded Americans and others that the free world is "engaged in the defining ideological struggle of the 21st century" against those -- the Islamists and their supporters -- opposed to "every principle of humanity and decency" that free people hold dear. Iraq and Afghanistan liberated from the clutches of tyranny will be...

By now it's clear that John McCain's "blasphemy" on conservative principles is making some conservatives consider "apostasy" on Election Day -- not voting Republican. A quick Google search shows such terminology popping up in campaign coverage, whether to describe the intensity of conservative disaffection with McCain's assaults on baseline conservatism ("McCain's "apostasy" on immigration, for example), or to indicate mock-horror at, say, Mitt Romney peeling the skin off a piece of fried chicken before eating it -- "blasphemy here in the South," according to CNN. For deeply rooted cultural reasons, such terms serve as metaphors in our society. This helps...

Our fearless leader and beloved president's last State of the Union address aired on Monday night, for all of America to witness. Expecting another boring strain of mission statements and self-proclaimed heroism, I instead found myself riveted by his confidence, even pride (some say audacity) as he spewed his seventh and final series of lies, warps of truth and propagandist refuse that would put Stalin's PR guy to shame. In the spirit of this annual political tradition, I would like to dedicate this column to our fallen angel's final speech to his people, and subsequently recap his success as our...

From the looks of this photo, new pals Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama are enjoying an old-boys'-club moment at the Capitol - and women are fuming at the power pair's snub of Hillary Rodham Clinton just a few feet way. PHOTO GALLERY: Hillary Snubbed Some female leaders, in fact, are calling the apparently contemptuous stare-down - which took place before the State of the Union Address Monday night - downright sexist. "In general, they've been disre spectful, and I think that women voters are going to get very tired of seeing that," said Marsha Pappas, who heads the New York...

FOR A FEW FLEETING moments Monday night--what should have been vivid and affecting moments--television coverage of President Bush's final State of the Union address fastened on the image of a mother and daughter from Moshi, Tanzania. They sat, their faces alive with hope, in the first lady's box seats. Viewers were not told, and no one seemed inclined to tell them, that Tatu Msangi and her daughter Faith quite literally owe their lives to the Bush administration. After Msangi became pregnant, she went to a clinic at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center and learned she was HIV-positive. Five years ago...

My apologies for being so late for the Dose. We had an emergency come upPresident Bush flew with Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao to Baltimore MD this morning to discuss the Jericho Faith-Based and Community Initiative Program TranscriptAs promised last night, President Bush signed an executive order Protecting American Taxpayers from Government Spending on Wasteful Earmarks This evening President Bush met in the Cabinet room with Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary, thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, we're glad you're here. The Vice President and I welcome you all. One of the highlights of my year...

Last night's State of the Union speech garnered plenty of obligatory standing ovations, but the first issue that President Bush featured has generated plenty of grumbles the next day. Neither Republicans or Democrats much cared for the scolding given during the speech on earmarks, nor on the ultimata delivered by Bush in the joint session event. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MI) bristled at the notion that the executive branch could force fiscal discipline on Congress: While most Republicans praised Monday's speech, Sen. Thad Cochran, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he opposed the president's attempts to shrink the...

WASHINGTON — President Bush was set to act Tuesday on his State of the Union promise to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to ignore any future earmarks not voted on by Congress. Bush warned lawmakers he would flourish his veto pen if Congress does not rein in the number of congressional earmarks — money set aside for pet projects — that make it into law without a vote. As many as 95 percent of earmarks are inserted after Congress has voted on appropriations measures, and the pork is never seen by most lawmakers.

A San Antonio Democrat on Monday chided President Bush before an international Spanish-speaking audience for vetoing children's health insurance and ignoring the needs of America's Hispanic citizens. But state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte insisted beforehand that her message would be positive. She was selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to deliver the Democratic Party's nationally broadcast Spanish-language response immediately after Bush's State of the Union address Monday night. "I am not taking a shot at the president," Van de Putte said from Washington early Monday, where she taped her remarks for broadcast later...

WASHINGTON — President Bush was set to act Tuesday on his State of the Union promise to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to ignore any future earmarks not voted on by Congress. Bush warned lawmakers he would flourish his veto pen if Congress does not rein in the number of congressional earmarks — money set aside for pet projects — that make it into law without a vote. As many as 95 percent of earmarks are inserted after Congress has voted on appropriations measures, and the pork is never seen by most lawmakers. Bush called on Congress during...

US President George W. Bush (L) shakes hands with Democratic presidential hopeful and US Senator Barack Obama (R) after delivering the final State of the Union address of his presidency at the US Capitol in Washington January 28.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own -- as the first President to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker. (Applause.) In his day, the late Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. from Baltimore, Maryland, saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman at this rostrum. But nothing could compare with the sight of his only daughter, Nancy, presiding tonight as Speaker of the House of Representatives. (Applause.) Congratulations, Madam Speaker. (Applause.) Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight, and we pray for...

Now that it appears the 3,417-page omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2764) will be signed into law, the question remains whether the American people must endure the estimated 11,331 earmarks, worth approximately $20 billion, in this year's spending bills. Earlier this year, President Bush and Democratic congressional leaders pledged to cut the number of pork projects in half--from the 2005 peak of 13,492 to 6,746.[1] While Congress brazenly broke its pledge to the American people, the President's hands are not necessarily tied. Indeed, the President said in a press conference this morning, "I am instructing the budget director to review options...

Van de Putte picked to give Democrats' Spanish response to Bush speech AUSTIN – Sen. Leticia Van de Putte has never been one to shy away from a fight, whether leading fellow Democrats on a 45-day walkout to New Mexico in 2003 or standing alone last year in support of a controversial plan to vaccinate young girls against a sexually transmitted virus. Her skills as a lawmaker in a Texas Legislature dominated by the opposing party propelled her to the presidency of the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures – the first Texan and first Hispanic in that post. And...

Excerpts from the prepared text of President Bush's final State of the Union address Monday, as released by the White House. ___ On Congress: "The actions of the 110th Congress will affect the security and prosperity of our nation long after this session has ended. In this election year, let us show our fellow Americans that we recognize our responsibilities and are determined to meet them. And let us show them that Republicans and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate for results at the same time." ___ On trusting and empowering the American people: "From expanding opportunity to protecting...

US President George W. Bush warned Iran Monday that the United States will "confront those who threaten our troops" and defend its allies and interests in the Gulf. Bush, in excerpts of his State of the Union speech provided by the White House, also urged Tehran to suspend its uranium enrichment program, embrace political reforms, and "cease your support for terror abroad." "But above all, know this: America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf," he said. His message echoed US warnings about...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2008 – A Marine who lost both legs in Iraq, a 61-year-old doctor who joined the Navy after his oldest son was killed in Iraq, a soldier and an airman wounded in Iraq, and a Marine whose unit was part of the troop surge in Iraq’s Anbar province will join first lady Laura Bush tonight during the president’s State of the Union address. The servicemembers were selected as special guests for the annual address to both houses of Congress, President Bush’s eighth, and the last before he leaves office. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today...

<p>NPR.org, January 28, 2008 · The following is the full text of President George W. Bush's final State of the Union address on January 28, 2008, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House.</p> <p>Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy, and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say we've answered that call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose. And together, we showed the world the power and resilience of American self-government.</p>

In his final State of the Union address tonight, President George Bush plans to announce that the U.S. economy has become such a quagmire that the federal government will begin a phased withdrawal. The nation’s chief executive will reportedly tell the American people that the government got involved in the U.S. economy under false pretenses, has mismanaged the effort from the beginning, and the president believes now that “the only way forward is backward.” The president will propose immediate reductions in taxes, regulation, government spending and federal bureaucracies.

Announces Executive Order, Pledges VetoToo many earmarks, too little accountability. Earmarks are provisions often snuck into legislation not subject to legislative or public scrutiny and that often lead to wasteful Federal spending. Earmarks have tripled in number over the last decade and have increased spending by billions of dollars. Most earmarks are not even included in legislative text and are not subject to an up or down vote of Congress.Earmark reform will help eliminate wasteful spending. Taxpayer dollars should be spent wisely or not at all. That's why it's necessary for the number and cost of earmarks be reduced, that...

President to Push Skeptical Congress For Colombia Deal WASHINGTON -- President Bush will ask skeptical legislators not to spurn free trade, urging passage of a pact with Colombia in a State of the Union address expected to stress keeping the U.S. engaged in the highly competitive global economy. Winning passage of the proposed trade pact with Colombia, and also pending deals with Panama and South Korea, is a priority for Mr. Bush in his final months in office. The Latin American nation is among the U.S.'s closest allies in a region simmering with anti-American sentiments, as Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez...

WASHINGTON - On Monday evening, President Bush will stand before a joint session of Congress and give a speech about the state of the Union – and perhaps about the state of his place in history, as well. This doesn't mean that Mr. Bush's final State of the Union address will be a nostalgia-fest of retrospection. Bush, like his father before him, famously is averse to dwelling on the past. But he's unlikely to unveil bold new initiatives, say experts, given his low approval ratings and the lack of time left in his term. At best Bush might push items...

THE US will commit $US2 billion ($2.27 billion) over the next three years for a new international fund to promote clean energy technologies and fight climate change, President George W. Bush will tell Congress today in his annual State of the Union speech.

“The actions of the 110th Congress will affect the security and prosperity of our Nation long after this session has ended.  In this election year, let us show our fellow Americans that we recognize our responsibilities and are determined to meet them.  And let us show them that Republicans and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate for results at the same time.”On trusting and empowering the American people:“From expanding opportunity to protecting our country, we have made good progress.  Yet we have unfinished business before us, and the American people expect us to get it done.  In the work ahead,...

WASHINGTON - President Bush, in his last State of the Union message Monday night, will call anew for patience on Iraq, propose a $300 million initiative for children trapped in struggling inner-city schools and suggest termination of scores of federal programs. Previewing some highlights of Bush's primetime speech to Congress, a high-ranking White House official also said the president will announce plans to have the United States host the next hemispheric summit in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. The administration earlier Monday said that Bush was to use his nationally broadcast address to attack the so-called "earmarks," special projects lawmakers often insert...

George Bush makes his final State of the Union speech tonight, and according to the Washington Post, it will focus on two themes associated with the administration: economy and the war. The White House does not plan on turning the SOTU speech into a valediction, instead focusing on the tasks in front of the nation and the necessity of action in 2008. They only hope that they have an audience: For years, President Bush and his advisers expressed frustration that the White House received little credit for the nation's strong economic performance because of public discontent about the Iraq war....

Monday night President Bush will make his eighth and final State of the Union address. The president is expected to say little about the past seven years when he addresses both houses of Congress. Instead he will focus on the present and the future. One of the items he's expected to mention is the stimulus package, the proposal to provide tax rebates to 117 million families. The president and House leaders - Democrats and Republicans - have already agreed to the plan. But the Senate wants its own input and that could bog down the bill. Henry Paulson, Treasury...

"He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." -- U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section III "Madame Speaker, the President of the United States..." The general rules of this game are no different from any other drinking game. A drink is either a shot or a good gulp from a beer (or cider). Different events call for different numbers of drinks and all you do is watch the speech and play along. If all goes well, you'll be...

Republican John McCain says he is staying in Florida to campaign instead of attending President Bush’s State of the Union address tomorrow night. McCain is locked in a tight campaign for the Republican presidential nomination against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

As President Bush prepares to deliver his last State of the Union address tomorrow night, a legion of pundits, politicians and, yes, historians is already assigning the 43rd president his final place in history. These commentators, and especially those who confidently assert that Bush is the "worst president in history," would do well to remember the British historian C.V. Wedgwood's observation: "History is written backward but lived forward. --snip-- Three reasons help explain why it's folly to rate a sitting president. First, history isn't written by a single person or school of academic thought

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bound together, George W. Bush's State of the Union addresses are a history of the ups and downs of his presidency, of the times he got his way and the times his hopeful oratory was just that.Last year, Bush implored a skeptical Congress to embrace his plan to send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq. Despite growing gloom in the country about the war, Democrats failed to stop him or to set deadlines for troop withdrawals. The military buildup went ahead without impediment and is credited with lowering violence in Iraq, at least for now, even as...

Today President Bush traveled to West Virginia to attend the annual Congress of Tomorrow Luncheon. There the president spoke about the economy and the need to renew the Protect America Act, which modernizes outdated foreign surveillance laws. The law is set to expire in just seven days. Our most solemn duty is to protect the American people, and I appreciate the fact that we've worked closely together over the last seven years to do just that. That is our most solemn duty. Fortunately, we've got a lot of good people working hard to help us protect America. And these professionals...

President Bush's final State-of-the-Union address is expected to reflect the political reality that there is little room for any big ideas out of the White House during his remaining months in office. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino says anything new and major is "just not realistic."

President Clinton, State of the Union, 1998 "Together, we also must also confront the new hazards of chemical and biological weapons, and the outlaw states, terrorists and organized criminals seeking to acquire them. Saddam Hussein has spent the better part of this decade, and much of his nation's wealth, not on providing for the Iraqi people, but on developing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons -- and the missiles to deliver them. The United Nations weapons inspectors have done a truly remarkable job, finding and destroying more of Iraq's arsenal than was destroyed during the entire Gulf War. Now Saddam Hussein...

When the president - any president we have - speaks to all of us, I try not to miss it on television, so I've seen a lot of speeches by a lot of presidents. I listened to President Bush the other night. I have a clear opinion of which of our recent presidents gave the best speeches and which gave the worst but I'm not going to tell you because I don't want to make anyone mad. Some presidents, of course, have been good speakers but I didn’t like what they said. President Bush has made seven State of the...

President George W. Bush said on Monday he did not intend to insult Democrats by failing to pronounce their party's full name in his State of the Union address. "I didn't know I did it," Bush told NPR in an interview. In his speech last Tuesday, Bush declared to a joint session of the U.S. Congress that "I congratulate the Democrat majority." Some Democrats were incensed he did not say "Democratic." The party's proper name is the Democratic Party. Republicans for years have dropped the last two letters of the name as a slight to the party. Bush's prepared text...

Preview and Analysis for Weekend of January 27th and 28th, 2007Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows: NBC's "Meet the Press" Former Arkansas Gov. Mike HuckabeeSen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.Sen. David Vitter, R-La.Michael GersonKenneth Pollack CBS's "Face the Nation" Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa "Fox News Sunday" Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn CNN's "Late Edition" Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael SteeleDemocratic strategist Donna Brazile. ABC's "This Week" Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.Actor Kevin Bacon The battle is well and...

An essay from an active duty officer with more than 25 years of service, addressed to his fellow USNA alum, Senator James Webb. Senator Webb is a graduate of my alma mater, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He is a highly decorated Marine from Vietnam who unlike Senator Kerry actually and definitively earned his commendations for bravery and valor in combat. His novels have sold very well because he is a very talented writer. But on close inspection, something about Senator Webb is very disturbing. Perhaps it harkens all the way back to his midshipman days in Annapolis...

State of the Union: DemoralizedBy Mona CharenFriday, January 26, 2007 The key paragraph in President Bush's State of the Union speech was this: This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we're in. Every one of us wishes this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn...

President Bush, whose approval rating has fallen to 35 percent, seemed to borrow a page from the Team Arnold playbook when he delivered his State of the Union Address Tuesday night. The Bushies should want to mimic Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's impressive turnaround. In 2005, only one-third of California voters approved of the governor. In 2006, Schwarzenegger handily won re-election and a majority of voter approval. As California GOP Chairman Duf Sundheim noted, Bush and Schwarzenegger both have tapped into the public's desire to "move forward" and get things done. "Whatever you voted for," Bush told Congress of its passage of...

Because there are so many, that are begging for captions... Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., greets a member of congress as she arrives for President Bush's annual State of the Union address. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right and Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, for President Bush's annual State of the Union address. Vice President Dick Cheney stands up and applauds and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sits, as President Bush delivers his State of the Union address. U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) (L), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) (top C) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) (R) attend...

You decide

Things can't be bad when 'Baby Einstein' makes SOTU address By JAMES LILEKSThe state of the union? Tony the Tiger could have delivered it: Grrrrreat. No terror attacks at home in half a decade. Inflation is low, unemployment is low, growth is steady, the deficit is shrinking, the housing bubble deflated without crashing the economy, Britney did not reproduce again, and so on.True to form, the president's speech was a shopping list with plenty of domestic goodies, because that's what everyone wants: large, sweeping policy initiatives from a lame duck with both chambers stacked against him. He might as well...

Steve Malzberg, one of America's favorite radio hosts, hosts today for Mike Gallagher Join Steve and his freeper fans at the link below. Steve will be live from 9AM to 12 AM EST. Join Steve "the Mutilator" Malzberg and his fans champing at the bit to enjoy the breakfast buffet and cocktails while we bash the liberal media. Yes, liberals are grass, Steve is the mower. What could be more fun? Malzberg's Maniacs are addicted to Steve, so put on your tap shoes, shuffle off to Buffalo or in this case to the internet stream, and enjoy the wittiest fellow...

It's nice to have a president who is not so sleazy that not a single Supreme Court justice shows up for his State of the Union address (Bill Clinton, January 1999, when eight justices stayed away to protest Clinton's disregard for the law and David Souter skipped the speech to watch "Sex and the City"). Speaking of which, the horny hick's wife finally ended the breathless anticipation by announcing that she is running for president. I studied tapes of Hillary feigning surprise at hearing about Monica to help me look surprised upon learning that she's running. As long as we...

Amid signs the "surge" is already working, President Bush embraces Ronald Reagan's strategy for winning the Cold War. Meantime, Democrats embrace Neville Chamberlain in their response. When asked what his strategy was for dealing with the Soviet Union, Reagan said it was simple: "We win. They lose." President Bush, noting in his State of the Union address that "the consequences of failure would be grievous and far-reaching," presented a similar plan for Iraq with "the goal of victory." "Victory" isn't a word you find in the Democratic lexicon these days, and it wasn't in the Democratic response by freshman Sen....

(AP) WASHINGTON On Capitol Hill, senators sometimes put holds on presidential nominees. But it was a House member, freshman Rep. Michele Bachmann, who put a hold on the president Tuesday night. As Bush made his way through the crowd of lawmakers after his State of the Union speech, he signed autographs, including two for Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican. But after the president turned to greet someone else, Bachmann put her hand on his shoulder and held it there. The hold lasted as Bush shook hands and chatted with other lawmakers on the other side of the aisle, his back to...