State of the Union?

I'm sitting here watching the State of the Union address being given by President Bush. I can't help thinking "isn't this supposed to be the state of the Union"? It seems to me that most of the speech has been spent telling the "terrorist" nations of the middle east what they should do to ensure democracy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for democracy and peaceful relations in the middle east, but shouldn't we be hearing about what our president is going to do about the state of the United States? Where is the plan to help bring fuel prices down to a reasonable amount, especially in the wake of my electricity bill almost doubling this month so the energy company can help offset their costs? Where is the plan to help reduce the costs of medical insurance?

So far, all I've heard about is how the president wants to re-authorize the Patriot Act and continue to suspend civil liberties by appointing the most conservative judges to the Supreme Court.

The most amazing thing was how partisan the speech and the applause has been. The only topics that have brought applause from both parties were those that extolled the virtues of our soldiers, and rightly so. Whether they are there for the wrong or right reasons doesn't matter. They are still American citizens and soldiers following their hearts in defending the country they love and deserve our respect and appreciation for doing a job that not everyone is willing to do.