If you were president, and you were giving your last State of the Union address after eight years, wouldn’t you want to say something sort of thoughtful and interesting? Maybe wax philosophical a bit, or try to inspire the nation?

Yeah. Me too. But then, we’re not George W. Bush.

Here’s the Washington Post’s Tom Shales on the speech:

Last night Bush was assertive nearly to the point of bellicosity as he discussed his pursuit of the war in Iraq and his version of U.S. foreign policy, which dominated the second half of the speech. “We will deliver justice to our enemies,” he said with a kind of Old Testament thunder. “Al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated,” he declared, adding, a little later, “We will not rest until this enemy has been defeated.”

He did not speak softly, but he carried a big shtick.

The Republicans in the House chamber naturally loved it and interrupted the president with applause more times than even he appeared to expect. There was one dramatic wide shot of the chamber right after Bush demanded renewed funding for the interception of communications among terrorist groups. “The time to act is now,” he said, and in the shot one could see precisely half the assemblage — the Republican half — rise as if one person, while the Democrats, in the foreground, sat still in their seats.

Will somebody please tell members of both parties that all the standing and knee-jerk applause amakes them all look like complete and utter sycophants?

And so, by the way, does the pleading way in which they thrust out their programs for Bush to sign…..