Out of Gas

"His ambitious laundry list of policy initiatives, mostly repackaged old standards, is an illusion.

"'I don't think much is doable,' one Bush political ally ventures. 'He'll win on Iraq and spending, but I don't see anything else he can get done.'

"The real purpose of this valedictory was legacy, not legislation."

Iraq Watch

Michael Abramowitz and Dan Eggen write in The Washington Post: "Appearing before Congress for his seventh and last State of the Union address, Bush claimed vindication for his controversial decision a year ago to send a 'surge' of about 30,000 additional troops to Iraq. . . .

"'Some may deny the surge is working,' Bush said, 'but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated.'"

Bryan Bender writes in the Boston Globe: "President Bush portrayed the bloody five-year war in Iraq last night as finally turning a corner, citing a dramatic reduction in attacks since he dispatched an additional 30,000 US troops last January and vowing to 'sustain and build on the gains we made in 2007' during his last year in office. . . .

"But several military specialists warned that many of the security improvements in Iraq have resulted from the work of a mix of local militias and armed citizens groups that are funded by the United States but beyond the control of the Iraqi government.

"Unless these groups are quickly folded into the Iraqi security forces or are provided other gainful employment, there are few guarantees that they will not face off with each other when the American security commitment is reduced and spark another round of civil war, the specialists said."

Earmark Watch

David D. Kirkpatrick writes in the New York Times: "President Bush has never shown much distaste for Congressional pork.

"But in his last year in office, with his party out of power on Capitol Hill, he declared Monday that he had had enough.

"In the last seven years he has signed spending bills containing about 55,000 earmarks worth more than $100 billion for projects like a new lane for a local road, a new facade for a town landmark or a weapons contract for a company that happened to be a big donor to an influential lawmaker. . . .

"Mr. Bush was notably silent on the subject until after his fellow Republicans lost control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections. And, now that his power has waned, his threats are almost certain not to matter."