The way I figure it, the best way to get a proper view of the State of the Union speech tonight is to watch the recap on The Daily Show later this evening. I'm not sure it's worth the agita to watch it live - scratch that, I know it's not.
Several suggestions on alternatives are floating around the blogiverse this afternoon. Among the more popular are drinking games (for example, have everyone in your SOTU party pick a phrase from a pre-selected list, like "Iraq elections", "personal retirement planning", etc. and take a shot every time their phrase is uttered). How about taking bets on the relative strength / weakness of the Democratic response (kind of like a football over/under bet). Also, look for phrases not used, like "private accounts", "Pell grants", "tsunami", "Chalabi", and "Family Marriage Act".
If you're still so inclined to watch the speech, it might be interesting to jot down your reactions on various 'pan' shots. Who's sitting with Laura? How long did Teddy keep his eyes shut? Does Hillary clap? What's chimpy's smirk factor tonight?
Reportage, people. Reportage. Those of us who are weak of stomach need your input, so we'll open up a thread around 8PM for SOTU talk.
Oh, and prior to the speech, go digby for a few minutes...
