Passport live-blogs the State of the Union tonight
Log on to Passport tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST, as we live-blog President Bush’s State of the Union address and the Democratic response. While debuting a new Washington sensation called State of the Union Bingo, we’ll be watching to see whether Bush gives Nancy Pelosi a peck on the cheek after the House Sergeant at Arms ...
Log on to Passport tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST, as we live-blog President Bush's State of the Union address and the Democratic response.
Log on to Passport tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST, as we live-blog President Bush’s State of the Union address and the Democratic response.
While debuting a new Washington sensation called State of the Union Bingo, we’ll be watching to see whether Bush gives Nancy Pelosi a peck on the cheek after the House Sergeant at Arms calls out “Madame Speaker” for the first time in history.
More seriously, despite reports to the contrary, we’re expecting a speech that will seriously engage foreign policy issues, not least of all Iraq and Iran. Bush and his speech writers know that Iraq—and only Iraq—will define his legacy. Now is the time to start spinning history. Only two presidents, Harry Truman and Richard Nixon, have had lower approval ratings before a State of the Union address. Iraq is the proverbial elephant in the room; ignoring it to focus solely on “domestic” issues will only drive those abysmal numbers lower. With Congressional Republicans bailing ship over the “surge,” we’re looking for Bush to be typically unrepentant.
We’ll also be watching the applause-o-meter more closely tonight than at any time in the last six years. Pay attention to how the Dems respond on two key issues that aren’t “domestic” at all: immigration and climate change. The new leadership in Congress has opened up new opportunities for Bush on both fronts. We should be able to gauge almost immediately where those issues are headed.
Please join us tonight.
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