Union Address

Hello again from breezy Fort Lauderdale, where it's not a bad idea to keep a jacket in your car. It tends to get a bit chilly in the shade - proving once again that I'm not ready to go back to Maryland. Miguel Tejada was much more animated yesterday, with constant chatter at shortstop during an infield drill and a definite bounce in his step. Manager Sam Perlozzo said he noticed that Tejada seemed a bit more lively Sunday, though it didn't carry into the game. Tejada also was receptive to the idea of positioning himself more toward the middle, making it easier to reach balls hit to his left.

Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young, ejected from the State of the Union address Tuesday night for wearing slogan-bearing T-shirts, are off the hook with Capitol police - but not with the manners police. Capitol police dropped charges of unlawful conduct against antiwar activist Sheehan, and apologized to her and Young, the wife of Rep. C.W. Bill Young of Florida, saying "wearing a T-shirt is not enough reason to be asked to leave the gallery, or be removed from the gallery, or be arrested," according to the Associated Press.

Read his lips. And his hands, eyes, shoulders and walk. When President Bush delivers his fifth State of the Union address on national television tonight, communications experts say his body language is likely to speak volumes. "Studies are clear," says John Boe, a California-based consultant in nonverbal communication who works with salespeople. "Seventy percent of what gets [said] face-to-face -- or in the case of [tonight's address], face-to-TV screen -- is nonverbal. Why ignore all that good evidence?"

WASHINGTON -- A last-minute attempt to block Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s nomination to the Supreme Court failed yesterday as a Democratic-led filibuster was defeated 72-25, paving the way for the conservative judge to be confirmed by the Senate before President Bush's State of the Union address tonight. At the close of a day of bitter debate over the changing direction of the court, at least 57 senators had committed to vote for Alito's nomination - including four Democrats - which all but guarantees that the appellate judge will become the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush often says he didn't come to Washington to avoid big battles on difficult issues. But as he readies his State of the Union address, Bush has pared his once-lofty wish list to a narrower one designed to boost his party's fortunes in this year's elections and show he can deliver on promises. Stung by the collapse of his ambitious plan to overhaul Social Security, unveiled in his previous State of the Union speech, Bush is not expected to propose sweeping policy changes tomorrow night.

The African Union recently acknowledged what has long been obvious: It has neither the resources nor the mandate to stop the genocide in Darfur. This is actually good news. It frees the United Nations to take over, buttressing AU forces with troops of its own as well as providing much needed equipment and logistical support. This larger force would also have the authority to pre-empt the violence and bloodshed, which has so far resulted in the deaths of 400,000 innocents in western Sudan and displaced two million more.

WASHINGTON -- It's exactly the kind of legacy-building initiative President Bush is looking for: an ambitious campaign, hatched by a bipartisan crowd of lawmakers, executives and academics, to improve U.S. science and engineering capabilities and keep the nation from falling dangerously behind tough economic competitors, such as China and India. There's just one problem for Bush: It costs $10 billion a year. The problem is one example of the pressures facing the president as he puts the finishing touches on his Jan. 31 State of the Union message.

IN THE LAST few weeks, the nation has devoted a great deal of attention to the "greatest generation" and its successful fight against fascism. But something important is missing from the celebration: the distinctive vision of the leader of that generation, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and his effort to connect the idea of security with protection against human vulnerability in all its forms. In his eloquent remarks inaugurating the World War II memorial in Washington, President Bush insisted, "Across the years, we still know his voice."

BOSTON - When the president decided to send Americans to Mars, I had to agree with comedian Jon Stewart's political analysis: It's official. He's given up on Earth. Well, the Mars venture has yet to achieve liftoff. It flopped in the polls and didn't even make it onto the launching pad of the State of the Union address. The only proof that Mr. Bush is still interested in going to Mars is that he didn't utter a single word of worry about the Earth's environment on Tuesday. At the risk of being an amateur astronomer, it's clear the president is aligning his campaign strategy with the red planet.

What was it about the look on President George W. Bush's face while he delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday night? That grin, I thought as I watched the president of all the people. It seemed infuriatingly familiar. But why? Then it came to me. I've seen grins like that on the faces of men who have just bluffed me out of a big pot at the poker table with nothing in their hands. Bush may be president of the people, but he is not president by the people. Most Americans who voted in the 2000 election cast their ballots for someone else.