State of the Union address 2008 VIDEO

State of the Union address 2008 PREVIEW AND REVIEW. LIVE, FULL STREAMING VIDEO from C-SPAN is available here. The address begins Monday, January 28, 2008 at 9pm (Eastern).

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as well as the Democratic response. On demand audio and video streams, an MP3 download, news coverage, and full text transcripts will be posted as soon as they are available. Your comments as always are welcome at the bottom of this post.

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"He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution President George W. Bush receives applause while delivering the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007. Also pictured are Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. White House photo by David Bohrer

President Bush will deliver his State of the Union address on January 28, 2008. Whatever the form, content, delivery method or broadcast medium, the President's annual address is a backdrop for national unity. The State of the Union gives the President an opportunity to reflect on the past while presenting his hopes for the future to Congress, the American people and the world. Guest List for the First Lady's Box at the 2008 State of the Union

PREVIEW: Press Briefing by Dana Perino VIDEO, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. 10:08 A.M. EST. For Immediate Release. Office of the Press Secretary January 25, 2008. PODCAST OF THIS BRIEFING. Running time is 17:16 . Dana M. Perino Biography.

For the State of the Union: the President is heading into the final stretch of preparation for his eighth and final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress and to his fellow citizens.

The State of the Union is a wonderful American tradition; it shapes the public policy debate for the coming year and the President is looking forward to delivering it on Monday night.

The speech is focused on the future; it is not a review of the first seven years of his time as President. 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.

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.

The speech also highlights unfinished business that should be priorities for Democrats in Congress eager to demonstrate to voters back home that they are able to get things done, such as the economic growth package and making sure our intelligence professionals have the tools they need to do the job to protect us. These two issues are currently on the front burner waiting for congressional action.

The President will mention policies that can be implemented through executive or administrative action without congressional involvement. He will highlight recent successes in Iraq and the troops that are returning home without replacement as a result of that success.

He will call on Congress to make sure that our troops have what they need, when they need it, for the mission they've been asked to do. He will also express his commitment to continuing to improve the quality of life for our military families, and reiterate the call for Congress to implement the proposals put forward by the Dole-Shalala Commission on Wounded Warriors.

On the foreign policy front, he will discuss how an agreement between Palestinians and Israelis would help foster peace in the Middle East, and that peace is now a real possibility. And he'll say that America must continue to support those around the world who oppose terrorism and promote freedom; doing so will make America safer.

Building a more hopeful world also entails leading the fight against global hunger and fighting AIDS, which must remain a priority for our country. Yesterday he said he's -- he said that he's put all of his soul and all of his might into being President, and that this year will be no exception.

I have one final comment outside of the State of the Union. And I actually -- I noted it is not his eighth State of the Union; it is his seventh State of the Union in his eighth year, -- I saw that you were questioning that, and you are right.

REVIEW:

• State of the Union Address 2007 LIVE VIDEO - State of the Union Address 2007 FULL STREAMING VIDEO, PODCAST of Speech mp3 format for download. Streaming Audio of speech mp3 in m3u format for online listening. 2007 State of the Union Address Policy Initiatives, Full PDF Document (138KB)
• State of the Union Address 2006 (VIDEO, PODCAST, TEXT) - President Bush Delivers 2006 State of the Union Address, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. 9:12 P.M. EST PODCAST MP3 AUDIO
• State of the Union, 2006 Review and Preview (VIDEO) - On a cold January morning, the President rode in a carriage drawn by six horses from his residence on Cherry Street in New York to Federal Hall for a joint meeting of the two bodies of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate.
• State of the Union Address 2005 full text video - State of the Union Address 2005 FULL STREAMING VIDEO
  Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives The United States Capitol Washington, D.C. 9:10 P.M. EST

On a cold January morning, the President rode in a carriage drawn by six horses from his residence on Cherry Street in New York to Federal Hall for a joint meeting of the two bodies of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. When George Washington personally delivered the first annual message to Congress on January 8, 1790, he was aware of his constitutional duty to deliver his message and of the precedent he was setting for future presidents.

The President's focus, however, was on the very concept of union itself. Washington and his administration were concerned with the challenges of establishing a nation and maintaining a union. The experiment of American democracy was in its infancy. Aware of the need to prove the success of the "UNION OF STATES," WASHINGTON INCLUDED A SIGNIFICANT DETAIL IN HIS SPEECH. INSTEAD of datelining his message with the name of the nation's capital, New York, Washington emphasized unity by writing "United States" on the speech's dateline.

Since Washington's first speech to Congress, U.S. Presidents have "from time to time" given Congress an assessment of the condition of the union. Presidents have used the opportunity to present their goals and agenda through broad ideas or specific details. The annual message or "State of the Union" message's length, frequency, and method of delivery have varied from President to President and era to era.

For example, Thomas Jefferson thought Washington's oral presentation was too kingly for the new republic. Likewise, Congress's practice of giving a courteous reply in person at the President's residence was too formal. Jefferson detailed his priorities in his first annual message in 1801 and sent copies of the written message to each house of Congress. The President's annual message, as it was then called, was not spoken by the President for the next 112 years. The message was often printed in full or as excerpts in newspapers for the American public to read.

The first President to revive Washington's spoken precedent was Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Although controversial at the time, Wilson delivered his first annual message in person to both houses of Congress and outlined his legislative priorities.

With the advent of radio and television, the President's annual message has become not only a conversation between the President and Congress but also an opportunity for the President to communicate with the American people at the same time. Calvin Coolidge's 1923 speech was the first annual message broadcast on radio. Franklin Roosevelt began using the phrase "State of the Union" in 1935, which became the common name of the President's annual message. Roosevelt's successor, Harry Truman, also set a precedent in 1947 when his State of the Union speech became the first to be broadcast on television.

Most annual messages outline the President's legislative agenda and national priorities in general or specific terms. James Monroe in 1823 discussed the centerpiece of his foreign policy, now-known as the Monroe Doctrine, which called on European countries to end western colonization. Lincoln famously expressed his desire for slave emancipation in 1862, and Franklin Roosevelt spoke about the now-famous four freedoms during his State of the Union message in 1941.

Whatever the form, content, delivery method or broadcast medium, the President's annual address is a backdrop for national unity. The State of the Union gives the President an opportunity to reflect on the past while presenting his hopes for the future to Congress, the American people and the world.

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