State of the disunion

President Bush delivered his annual State of the Union address Tuesday night before a nationwide audience. For him it was a welcome chance to start fresh after a year of failed initiatives, declining poll numbers and scandals in the Republican Congress. Sixth-year presidents traditionally haven’t fared well – Nixon and Clinton both faced their impeachments around this time.

While the speech focused on optimism, the effect of the speech remains to be seen. Bush began a tour yesterday in Tennessee to take his State of the Union message directly to the American people. Notably, the address lacked any broad domestic policy initiatives – in other words, more of the same.

In a “what the heck” moment reminiscent of last year’s mention of steroid use in professional sports, Bush briefly mentioned “human-animal hybrids” among a list of potential applications of cloning that he feels should be banned for ethical reasons. Partisan rancor was evident throughout the speech, as there were only a few moments where Democrats and Republicans stood up together.

One of the highlights of the speech was when Democrats stood up to applaud when Bush cited Congress’s failure to act on his Social Security reform initiative from last year. He responded by admonishing, “Entitlement spending is not is a problem that is not going to go away.” Apparently, neither are his English skills.