State of the Union - Preliminary Impressions.

President Bush spoke for almost an hour, including applause time. With regard to applause, one could almost believe that the extended time period between the President's arrival at the podium and Speaker Pelosi's gaveling the session to order was an attempt by the Speaker to wear down the enthusiasm of the Republicans through exhaustion. If so, she did not succeed.

President Bush started with his version (or is it his "vision"?) of governance whereby the political parties can "compete for votes while they cooperate for results."

Not a single initiative, from the war against terror to the war on civil liberties, from free trade treaties to a treaty on greenhouse gases, from education reform to immigration reforms, did he fail to mention and, in general, chide Congress for inaction, insufficient action, or interfering action on his programs.

On the wars during his term in office, he affirmed that the U.S. troop surge had succeeded, that the Iraqis were undertaking a surge of their own, and that July 2008 would see 20,000 fewer troops in Iraq than were there in July 2006.

The President ended as he began, calling on the Congress to cooperate together and with him to do the public's business.

There will be "Other Voices" Blog on Tuesday, January 29.