Due to the fact that I was surrounded by the most politically minded people in school – who now, mind you, live and breathe Washington D.C. politics every day – I have grown up to be quite a political person myself. Yet even I only caught glimpses of last night’s State of the Union Address; mostly because of the writer’s strike and the fact that there was absolutely nothing else worth watching on TV.

Trust me; I tried.

It’s not like I wasn’t interested in what GW had to say; it is just hard to watch George Bush give a speech with bright eyes and (false) positivism when the country has been reduced to shit all around him. We have serious economic issues, war issues, health care issues, not to mention the thousands of people still displaced by Katrina. I don’t really want to spend the little free time I have watching W. sugarcoat those not-so-pleasant truths for an hour.

I am sure many people opted out of the speech in honor of something far more important (like this) or exciting (like this). So, I will give you a much abbreviated look at George Bush’s final State of the Union Address. Not because I want to bore you, but because it is a great way to see what issues will be left when he leaves so you can decide which candidate will be best suited to clean them up. Some highlights:

• Bush asked for a swift passing of his tax rebate package, more patience in Iraq and (something new, at last) $300 million for scholarships for students in low income and low functioning schools.
• Bush avoided much talk of the economy, the biggest and most pressing issue facing Americans today.
• He opted instead to discuss Iraq. Bush once again reminded us how far we have come in Iraq and how we cannot back down now.
• In an effort to look forward instead of back, Bush urged Congress to continue with his No Child Left Behind education bill, to pass new trade agreements with various countries and begged them to renew the legislation that allowed intelligence officials to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists.
• GW ended his speech discussing foreign affairs, expressing his confidence that Al Qaeda could and would be defeated.

Last night’s State of the Union was an interesting one, to say the least. It seemed less like a State of the Union and more of a pleading: Bush on his knees begging congress to finish his grand plans and the rest of America to renew their faith in him. Unfortunately, with only 51 weeks left in office and the 2008 election already on the forefront of everybody’s minds, neither seem to be realistic.