Nearly 50 minutes long, the 2007 State of the Union address dealt with several “kitchen table” domestic issues and the ever-present issues of Iran and Iraq. Initially, President Bush made romanticized, albeit half-hearted, statements of bipartisan love.

“Congress has changed, but not our responsibility. Our citizens don’t care what side of the aisle we sit on, as long as we’re able to cross that line to get things done,” Bush read from the teleprompter.

If the image of a die-hard Dem and fanatical Republican running in slow-mo towards a bipartisan embrace doesn’t make you all warm and fuzzy inside, then you must be heartless.

Years ago, after his first inauguration, Bush claimed to be a “uniter, not a divider.” Now, “the Decider” finds himself forced finally to reach across the aisle for something other than chastising Democrats.

After getting the political pleasantries out of the way, George II dove headfirst into domestic issues.

With a statement reminiscent of Daddy’s “No new taxes,” he promised to balance the federal budget without raising taxes or cutting spending. But is that possible?

The House, within its first 100 hours of office, passed legislation to balance the budget by disallowing new government spending without making cuts or forcing tax hikes. Freshman Congressman Heath Shuler and fellow Democratic congressional representatives forced the pay-as-you-go rules to hold the government directly responsible for balancing the budget.

With his third economic reform, the President also discussed “commitments of conscience” programs. He essentially admitted the stupidity of his “Death to Social Security” plot, where he tried to privatize Social Security. Bush finally stated the government’s dedication to Social Security and Medicare/ Medicaid.

While also attacking the crooked medical industry, and offering seemingly poorly-planned health insurance tax breaks, Bush brought up his self-proclaimed “great law,” the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act.

“Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act,” said Bush. This much is true; in January 2002, legislators crossed party lines to pass the bill.

“And because we acted, students are performing better,” he added. Of course they are! And states are falsifying their national report cards and lowering their standards to prove it.

Schools made the grade for success lower, while others altered the tests entirely. Annual standardized testing is becoming so easy that in Georgia, 75% of students pass, some with scores of less than 50, reports Fox News. And Bush wants Congress to reauthorize this legislation, thus rewarding this behavior?

Mike Petrilli, former education official with the Bush administration, claims states are doing anything to avoid sanctions. NCLB requires that the number of passing students increase every year, with all students being qualified by 2014.

Of course, George “Warmonger” Bush eventually discussed the Middle East.

According to The New York Times, Bush broke repetition records by using “Iraq/Iraqis” a whopping 34 times and “al-Qaida” nearly a dozen times. He offered the same old “solutions” of increasing troops and to “to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people.”

While the speech overall may have seemed insincere and lackluster, President Bush made one true statement: “Every one of us wishes this war were over and won,” he said.

Everyone thinks the same of this presidency.