Last week, I addressed a Joint Session of Congress to give what one would normally call
the "State of the Union" address. Constitutionally, a President can give a "State of the Union"
address whenever he wants. President Kennedy, in fact, gave a "State of the Union" address
ten days after his inauguration.
However, since this sorry state of our union is something
I inherited rather than created, I chose to refer to it this year as merely an address
before a Joint Session of Congress.
I found it very satisfying to read the glowing reviews of my speech. Some people called it inspirational;
others apparently were brought to tears with a new sense of pride in this country. My approval rating has
never been higher. I am truly humbled by this experience.
I've said before numerous times that
I believe in reaching across the aisle and extending a friendly helping hand to my would-be rivals. It is
in that bipartisan spirit that I include what I consider to be some of the highlights of my most-likely-rival
in 2012, Bobby Jindal's eloquent "Republican Response". Enjoy. I know I did.