The State of the Union 23^rd Jan 2007 by President W Bush is here

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html#

with online video from there.

Greg Sheridan writes up this speech in a glowing way here at The Australian “The ghost of a chance/George W Bush’s State of the Union address yesterday could help revive his presidency” p12 25^th Jan 07:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21112911-25377,00.html 

As if.

A viewing of the video suggests a more humble lame duck President who has just learned China can shoot military satellites out of the sky to protect their Iran oil supplies, yet Sheridan still sums up banging the drum with

“And a final, vital note: once again Bush put Iran on notice in very explicit remarks. Whatever the state of his presidency, it would be foolish for anyone to think that Bush is kidding on Iran.”

SAM's impressions: Southern charm leveraging Nancy Pelosi first woman Speaker of the House and 3^rd in line to the Presidency (?),  his political enemy who has talked down Iraq war all the way. Uproarious applause for her with 2 standing ovations. Again charm acknowledging Democrats win in Congress. More applause. Then attempt to deny relevance of his huge loss by appeal to bipartisanship and national interest.

Then he discusses allegedly sound domestic economic policy and so called small government, which surely is code for Big Business dictatorship. Says he will balance the budget, no raise in taxes, some strange claim to cutting budget deficit of 2009 which is all notional. Applause is very moderate likely from the Republican ‘side of the aisle’.

He waffles on with “we need to” regarding the disgraceful situation of health services in the USA for broad society but a huge credibility gap on doing anything. He kicks plaintiff lawyers over medical negligence “junk” law suits.

Moves onto secure borders with temporary work visas to help screen terrorist incursion, and acknowledges the melting pot. His voice is actually thin and weedy, not presidential. The Republicans applaud loyally. It’s pap from a West Wing speech writer.

Politics is so busy here I have to listen to the last 24 minutes of the 49 min speech later today but it's enough to say as expected Sheridan is spinning W Bush’s failed leadership. All that’s missing is mum and apple pie clichés: ‘Clean and safe nuclear power’ yeah yeah yeah. As crikey.com.au noted a 20% decrease in foreign oil reliance but a big fillip to Big Oil by doubling the US national emergency stockpile (which jacks up the price for the corporate mates).

W Bush is looking pretty weak and sleazy now contrary to Sheridan boosting, and the cut away shots to new Secretary of Defense http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates is not particularly reassuring given the disaster in Iraq he is expected to clean up. An impossible task by all accounts. Made worse by revelations that Colin Powell tried to cut a diplomatic deal with Iran back in 2003 as here: