State of the Union tonight.......

[NoCalMike 0]

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.

====================================================================

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

After Dean's wrestling-like promo last night I half expect a run in from the Dean-O-Maniac tonight.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I hope no gay marriage talk. Plenty of other more important things to talk about.

[Vern Gagne 0]

After Dean's wrestling-like promo last night I half expect a run in from the Dean-O-Maniac tonight.

Better watch out for Bush, Cheney, Frist, and Hasert.

[Mole 0]

After Dean's wrestling-like promo last night I half expect a run in from the Dean-O-Maniac tonight.

Better watch out for Bush, Cheney, Frist, and Hasert.

Liberman will then interupt with a Lance Storm type promo.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Don't forget the hot woman he'll have in an attempt to get over.

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Hillary Clinton will shout "Niggers!" from the balcony, then crouch and giggle.

[Guest hunger4unger]

I can't wait to hear him explain/attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

After Dean's wrestling-like promo last night I half expect a run in from the Dean-O-Maniac tonight.

Better watch out for Bush, Cheney, Frist, and Hasert.

You mean the FOUR HENCHMEN.

 

OMGROFLMAO2004!!!

 

I think LaRouche wackos are more the run-in type, as shown by what happened to Howie today...

 

Dean Disarms Hecklers with National Anthem

Tue January 20, 2004 06:05 PM ET

EDIT: Hecklers will the the only thing disarmed in a Dean Presidency

 

 

CONCORD, N.H. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean on Tuesday unleashed an unlikely weapon to disarm hecklers -- the U.S. national anthem.

 

When a rally at the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord was interrupted for a second time, the former Vermont governor led his supporters in a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner to drown them out.

 

Earlier, Dean had called for security to remove a couple of protesters who were shouting and waving the Confederate flag, a divisive symbol of racism and slavery in the South. As they were hustled out, Dean requested they not be "manhandled."

 

Last year, Dean was roundly attacked for making an insensitive remark about wanting to be the candidate for "guys with the Confederate flag on their pickups." He later apologized for the remark.

 

Dean criticized the hecklers, saying they "refuse to respect our right of free speech" and told the crowd:

 

"But you can exercise your right to vote and that's the way we're going to take back our country. The way to deal with what you have seen this afternoon is to vote."

Edited January 21, 2004 by kkktookmybabyaway

[The Czech Republic 0]

George W. Bush: "America is ready. Ready to face terror. At any time, and any place.

 

 

 

BUT NOT TONIGHT!"

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I can't wait to hear him explain/attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Why even bother?

 

People like you will always have some conspiracy theory and will never accept that the U.S. did the right thing because Bush was at the helm.

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Let me say this:

 

If Dean busts through the doors tonight with a boombox and says "Hey Everyone, Let's Party!", turns it on and Journey starts playing, he will have my vote.

 

Otherwise, fuck him.

[NoCalMike 0]

I can't wait to hear him explain/attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq.

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

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Tom Brady is there.

 

Fuck Tom Brady.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Hey guys.. you DON'T applaud after he says "The terrorist threat will not expire"

 

Oh.. renew the Patriot Act..

 

Shit.. meet fan

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I liked that the Democrats applauded when he said that the Patriot Act was going to expire. Not that they will be able to do anything to prevent it from getting renewed..

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Edward Kennedy is not a happy camper.

 

Patriot Act got an amusing response.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Man..that almost sounded familiar..

 

Denmark, Hungry, Bulgaria,...Norway, El Salvador..

[The Czech Republic 0]

Let me say this:

 

If Dean busts through the doors tonight with a boombox and says "Hey Everyone, Let's Party!", turns it on and Journey starts playing, he will have my vote.

 

Otherwise, fuck him.

My Wacky Dean Predictionwas that he would proclaim "Dean...hungry!", unhinge his jaw, and devour another man whole.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

How about if he breaks down the door, yells "HERE'S HOWIE!!!!!" and heckles Bush?

[Guest Krazy Karter]

Democrats with a "What?"-like "Boo!"

[The Czech Republic 0]

Also don't rule out Dean just sprinting to the podium, Ultimate Warrior-style, and just going apeshit.

 

What's the difference between Howard Dean and the Ultimate Warrior?

The Ultimate Warrior is the conservative one.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

..America less dependent on foreign sources of "energy"

 

uh..Im sure we get tons of ELECTRICITY from overseas.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I'm sure the Saudis are going to love that..

[Guest MikeSC]

I can't wait to hear him explain/attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq.

All he has to do is dress it up in the same language that the left used to defend the Kosovo intervention (and the humanitarian benefits of the raqi intervention are actually greater).

-=Mike

...If it was OK to go nito Kosovo for humanitarian reasons, then let's see them criticize Iraq.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Fun Bush fact: The Texas Rangers, owned by Bush, traded for Jose Canseco, roids user, in 1992.

 

And Jose didn't do anything for the Rangers either.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Fun Bush fact: The Texas Rangers, owned by Bush, traded for Jose Canseco, roids user, in 1992.

 

And Jose didn't do anything for the Rangers either.

Yeah and I'm sure he really had much to do with personel choices.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I was just noting that.

 

I'm sure that Bush, if he was still running a team instead of the country, would shy away from the roid users who he condemns

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

yeah.. how long has it been since Bush has brought up ol Osama?

[Guest Krazy Karter]

good speech - no bombshells or anything

 

I kind of agree that gay marriage is pointless in the sense that the benefits they would receive could go to better use.