A crowd of about 100 students assembled in the Stiftskeller
at the Memorial Union Monday night. And it wasn?t because of the Big Ten
Network; the channel was set to MSNBC for President Bush?s final State of the
Union address. The audience was overwhelmingly made up of College Democrats,
with a few notable College Republicans, steadfast independents and both
District 5 County Board candidates. I was expecting constant jeering of the
president, but besides whispered grumblings and sarcastic scoffing, the
spectators? only vocal cheer was for the mention of the University of Wisconsin
stem cell research breakthroughs.

Perhaps the listeners? reactions stemmed from the futility of the exercise.

Let us ask, what was the point of Mr. Bush?s State of the Union address? Did
anyone really take it seriously ? beyond counting how many times the speech was
interrupted by applause? As MSNBC pundit Keith Olbermann commented, all it
really did was ?make a lame duck presidency even lamer.?

The annual address is designed to outline initiatives and a direction for this
country, instructing Congress where to spend its time in the coming months.
This year, however, I doubt the House, the Senate or any presidential candidate
will be anxious to further Mr. Bush?s agenda, so he may as well have saved his
breath

Watching the speech was like watching an attention-starved child in a
kindergarten talent show, where the only people who show up are those who have
to be there or are related to the performers. I enjoyed the random camera cuts
to a seemingly asleep Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., and to Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., reading her booklet lackadaisically.

With a 29 percent approval rating and campaign season in full swing, do any of
President Bush?s policy proposals or comments really matter? The lack of
seriousness of the address was further underscored by the gladiator-style
audience antics, with one side roaring to its feet every few minutes, a random
Hooah, and even Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito standing and clapping (a
comical juxtaposition alongside the traditionally subdued and staid Justice
Anthony Kennedy). When Mr. Bush asked for a ?prompt up-or-down vote,? I
chuckled to myself about what a thumbs-down would have meant if the House
Chamber were really the Coliseum.

It may sound like I am dismissing the address, and for the most part, I am. I
think even the cameramen were with me on this one, lingering wishfully on the
faces of Sens. Clinton and Obama. As if somehow they could magically be
transported to that rostrum today, not a year from now. The presidential
campaign stole the spotlight of the evening, with Sen. McCain not even pausing
from stumping in Florida to attend the speech.

With an election around the corner and a Congress that won?t blindly follow Mr.
Bush?s agenda, now is not the time to dwell on recreating the Bush legacy with
major policy shifts. The president says he has ?unfinished business,? and he
didn?t delude himself into thinking he could accomplish much this year, a
change from his previous ?bring it on? boldness. Finally, in this last year,
Mr. Bush is advocating for measurable change where it is needed ? though I
guess one can argue that it is partially because he has a timetable and a
deadline of Jan. 20, 2009.

The state of the economy is the top issue on Americans? minds today, but in
attempting to create a legacy of foreign policy achievements and grasping at
semblances of progress where failure previously dominated, President Bush
dwelled on Iraq and the past instead of the course of our country and the
future. Is that a president who is leading America, or simply leading the
parade out of the White House?

We laughed with the president when he quipped that the ?IRS accepts both checks
and money orders.? But we also know the U.S. Treasury is accepting the
administration?s IOUs for the bloated defense budget. A casual mention of
balancing the budget isn?t going to convince anyone he actually means to
accomplish it.

What does President Bush mean to accomplish in his final year? I doubt the
Democratic Congress will allow him to pursue his reckless ideas, such as
extending tax cuts for the wealthy and protecting illegal wiretaps. Can he
realistically achieve any of the initiatives he outlined in the speech? Or is
the whole thing ? the speech and his final year ? a lame joke?

As students streamed out of the Stiftskeller Monday after the State of the
Union address, many reassembled just outside the room for further meetings.
Students for Barack Obama planned get-out-the-vote efforts in Minnesota.
Students for Hillary Clinton strategized for a ?Day of Action.? It was as if
they were saying, ?OK, thanks for the distraction, Mr. President.  But now
it?s time for us to get to work.?

Suchita Shah ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in
neurobiology.