Smirk of the Union

Behind President Bush's facial expressions during his final State of the Union speech was a series of dangerous ideas and misleading statements.

• Robert Borosage surveys the wreckage of a presidency in its death throes, and what's missing in the Democrats' response.
• Rick Perlstein delves into the substance of the speech and points out one of its most Orwellian moments.
• David Sirota hits Bush on trade and Bill Scher picks apart Bush' insincerity on global warming.

By the Numbers

We've counted up the cost of the last seven years of conservative misrule. See the facts in our comprehensive Real State of the Union chart. Plus, watch our video reality check of Bush's past State of the Union fantasies.