Liveblogging the President

7:50 PM
I am very interested in what Bush has to say tonight. Apparently he will be "acknowledging mistakes" in the war -- not of the war, mind you, but it is a start.

I expect him to spew empty platitudes about bipartisanship, while at the same time blaming all future problems on the Democrats' despicable recent and future calls for oversight and restraint.

I expect to lose track of the number of times he says freedom. I hope to hear him say at least once that freedom is God's gift to mankind, as he has said hundreds of times before.

So, in direct copyright violation of Jake's blog from a previous State of the Union address, I will be liveblogging the president's address tonight.


8:00 PM
What channel do I watch? I mean, Brian Williams has commanding voice, plus he is wearing that perfectly dimpled tie. But then again, Charlie Gibson has a kind of elder statesman quailty about him. On the other hand, Katie Couric makes me want to hug a puppy. But with her outfit, I am not sure if my TV has static or what is going on. Now that I am a poor student, I am a basic cable guy; in the past, it was always CNN, so I never had to make such difficult decisions. Now I know what Bush meant when he said that being president is hard work.
NBC it is. Speak to me, Tim Russert.

8:01 PM
This speech does mark a change -- Bush is speaking from a library.

8:03 PM
"Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me."
Holy crap. The rapture is upon us.

8:04 PM
I was hoping we would get at least one "nucular" tonight.

8:08 PM
"The Iraqis will need our help." I don't think any editorial comment is necessary here.

8:12 PM
"Now, I realize that the profound failures of the past, along with my unwillingness to listen to any outside voices, like when I was told at the beginning of the war that we needed many more troops, makes it hard to believe that it should be any different this time around."
Note: This may have been in my head rather than the TV.

8:18 PM
"I hope that democracy spreads across the Middle East. Now if you will excuse me, I am having a falafel dinner with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia."

8:20 PM
Bipartisan bipartisan bipartisan weekly meetings bipartisan.

8:21 PM
Well, in the last five minutes, he has more than made up for the previous freedom-free 16 minutes.

8:22 PM
Is that The Complete Works of Allen Ginsberg I see on the bookshelf in the background?

I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old
grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator
and eyeing the grocery boys.