President Bush is preparing to deliver his final State of the Union address Monday night but he is unlikely to spark any fireworks as he seeks to extend some key initiatives already in place and endorse the economic stimulus deal approved by House negotiators last week.The president has no scheduled events on Sunday or Monday as he puts the finishing touches on the speech to be delivered in the House chamber of the Capitol. As usual, the president will be escorted by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle into the packed room for the 9 p.m. ET address. His Cabinet, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Supreme Court Justices will all get ringside seats. The gallery where first lady Laura Bush sits will be filled in part with guests of the White House. Lawmakers will sit according to party on either side of the chamber.
Despite the emphasis on achievements over the last seven years, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Monday night's address will not be a walk down memory lane. "The speech is focused on the future; it is not a review of the first seven years of his time as president," Perino said Friday. "It will reflect the president's mind set that he is going to sprint to the finish, as you have all heard him say before. His address will advocate his philosophy of trusting Americans, empowering them to make good and wise decisions, especially when it comes to keeping more of their hard-earned money, rather than sending it to Washington." In addition, Perino said, "It will identify potential areas of agreement with a Democratic Congress. And these areas of common ground include new policy proposals with realistic chances of enactment this year."