NoCalMike

The linkage...... WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Tuesday evening is to deliver an election-year State of the Union speech that aides say is designed to rebut attacks from the Democratic candidates for president while defending his decision to invade Iraq. Aides said he will lay out his presidential legislative priorities and his international priorities. And the president will also tackle the controversial issue of gay marriage, declaring -- as he has before -- that marriage should be between one man and one woman. White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said Bush will say that "if necessary, he'd be glad to support a constitutional change" to support that idea. (WH considers constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage) The president has been under pressure to come out in favor of such a constitutional change from conservatives alarmed by a Massachusetts court decision in November that opened the door to a recognition of gay marriage. On the international front, aides said Bush will address the fact that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq and that U.S. troops continue to be killed there. (U.S. death toll in Iraq tops 500) Bush will make the case that the United States faces a real threat of another terrorist attack, aides said. The president will focus on domestic issues and the economy, crediting his tax cuts for bringing the economy out of recession, and arguing that they should be made permanent. (CNN/Money: The state of the Bush economy) Another senior administration official said the 50-minute speech, scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET, will mention a bill that will focus on job training and retraining for the unemployed. The president's political advisers are hoping an upbeat, uninterrupted address to the nation one night after Monday's Iowa caucuses will provide a contrast to Democrats competing for the chance to challenge Bush. (On to New Hampshire, after Iowa caucuses, Democrats to make a Spanish-language response) In an interview with CNN, Karen Hughes, a close adviser to the president who has been working with him on the speech, said Bush will cite "steady progress" in fighting terrorism and turning the U.S. economy around. "The president tonight will make the case that we now face a choice," Hughes said. "We can continue that progress or we can turn back." Bush, aides said, also will urge Congress to change the law so that a portion of Social Security payroll taxes can be invested in the stock market and other private investments accounts. (Full story.) He will reiterate his recent call for a temporary guest worker program under which millions of illegal immigrants could get temporary legal status in the United States. (Full story.) And he will support proposals to reduce health-care costs. Iraqi Governing Council President Adnan Pachachi will be one of Bush's guests at the State of the Union. Pachachi was in the United States for Monday's meetings at the United Nations. (Full story.) Pachachi will help Bush illustrate how Iraq is changing into a democracy, several administration sources said. Budget priorities drive content With a $500 billion budget deficit that angers Democrats and alarms a number of fiscal conservatives in his own party, Bush will be limited in how much he can offer in new, election-year initiatives. The contents of the speech have been decided, in large part, by the administration's budget priorities, because the president faces a February 1 deadline to propose a spending blueprint for the fiscal year that begins in October. Bush continued to practice his address Monday, running through it twice in front of his advisers with the help of a TelePrompTer, a senior administration official said. CNN's Dana Bash and John King contributed to this story. ====================================================================

HBO's Oz was the best drama series the network ever had, IMO.

exactly. Arnold is basically forgetting the real reason voted for him in the first place.

"california" well considering it was crooked politicians that fucked us over, it is hard to for me to put trust in another one to make things right, especially fucking arnold.

The honeymoon is over with Arnold.

I think I know what point he was trying to get at. Let me re-word a few things: "It's like giving two people of the same gender a certificate to go marry, and allowing it because marriage is a habit along the same lines as having sex." Well, calling marriage a "habit" is still a head-scratcher (well, maybe it is for Joan Collins). I was just showing how vague rules can leave loopholes open for groups to come in and assume the rules apply to them, when they don't. Rule: People can take 15-minute breaks to carry out their habit Smoking (implied), Masturbation (not implied) Rule: Marriage constitutes the union between two people in love Heterosexual Marriage (implied), Homosexual Marriage (not implied) WTF does that mean? To me it comes down to a simple civil rights issue, end of story. Is marriage a civil right or is it a privelage that a man and a woman have?

Check it out......I don't have a comment since I didn't even watch it yet....... Jersey Girl

I never knew Zach Malibu did this much for people. Honestly, all I thought he was good for was when I needed a Saved By the Bell refresher or discussion.

The only person in that entire first episode that could even begin to be called an "artist" was Scooter Girl, and that is only because she at least put an entire act. She even wrote her own song. Now, I am not saying she is a GOOD artist, but the fact remains, she came with her own lyrics/song and didn't just come there singing the last lame pop hit. Just my opinion though.

Maybe he will claim the war is over for a 2nd time....

The Cure - Six Different Ways

L7 - Pretend we're dead This is the perfect song for a third party in an election year. It has been awhile since I have listened to this, so naturally I downloaded it.

I'll be ordering a beer in the sportsbar while I watch the Rumble on the big screen.

I live approx an hour from berkeley. LA is about a 6-8 hour drive depending on whether you take I-5 or 99......

What is the name of the girl from Back to NY that had the short bleached hair on her show and on the Gauntlet she had dirty blonde, pig tails? I think she is really cute. She seems down to earth and she looks good in a natural way, not a dolled-up LOOKATME way. Plus she has nice long legs.......mmmmm

Saw it approx a week ago. Hilarious~!

Seriously though I don't understand the hoopla around this. It makes for a funny soundbyte, but it is sad that this is being so overexposed. Is it really THAT big of a deal?

If someone wanted to add "WHAT?"(s) to the Dean speech, I have an Austin mp3 that consists of a boatload of "What?"(s) I can send it.

Most boards/chat rooms I have been too, have featured the same folks since their inception. Do you think that all of us will be here when we are in our thirties, forties and beyond? Understandably we may have less time to roam on the boards, but do you think the CORE of us will still be here in ten years, twenty years?

RVD's theme music is the music for the credits.......haha

LOL you have to see this. Some of the worst acting ever, but hey it is a student film afterall. Check it out. Jason vs. Michael

The dialogue in this is fucking GOLD. Bwahahaha

I wouldn't exactly call her an IDOL either, in fact I am kind of offended that they even use the term, "American Idol" for the show. How about "American vocalist" ?

Hey you do have to admit, they did a pretty good remake of the end of FT13th part 2.

it would be nice to see them pick someone who is not your typical Top 40 prototype, but by the end of the show, that is exactly what will be left standing. This is the first time I have seen a full episode, cause my family was playing scrabble, and I must say this show sucks. It is painfully obvious that it is all about drama and has nothing to do with singing or talent, at least for the first week. If it was they could easily screen people so you at least had to have some talent to get on tv.