Bush enters final two years with subdued tone

Summarized Article by Steve Holland, Washington Post [Reuters]

Last night, President Bush gave his annual State of the Union in a much different tone. There was no "Axis of Evil", no enriched Uranium in Africa, and no more "addicted to oil" lines. Instead, Bush seemingly played it safe. The low-key address featured the usual -- foreign policy, healthcare, education, and economics. He started off by trying the bridge the gap between the aisles, and later informed the nation that a plan was in the works to dilvuge the nation's debt without raising taxes. Holland [the writer] commented on the fact that Bush, now 60, is showing the wear and tear of the role with graying hair and more wrinkles on his face. Bush praised his No Child Left Behind program -- despite some states now banning it -- and, as a few lawmakers said, left the door open for a good start to negotiations on domestic issues.

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It's funny what a Democratic Congress, slumping popularity numbers, and a crisis in Iraq can do to one while standing in front of the nation. Bush left out any points that would cause a stir and especially avoided making bold statements. [See: uranium being enriched for Iraqi use in Africa -- a complete falsehood] He led a low-key speech that will be forgotten by this time next week because it essentially did nothing. It stated everything that Congress already knew, and praised a couple of measures that have passed under his watch. You can't fault Bush for this because after all, he does have 2 years left and needs to salvage his numbers somehow, in addition to working the Iraq issue. He needs to make friends -- or at least people who will listen -- on the other side of the aisle in Congress. But come on George, where are these hydrogen cars you talked about a few years back?