As always, it's called the "State of the Union" speech, but if we're being real about this, it is the "State of Barack Obama's Presidency" address, or in legislative terminology, the "Obama Recovery Act.”

You get the picture. By the time he begins, we know what the president is going to say and who will be sitting in the upper deck listening.

Everyone thinks it's a big waste of time — certainly the TV networks, which could be making more money on their OTHER reality shows. About the only good television in this one comes from the shots of the audience.

Below are three big questions the president needs to answer in his State of the Union address. They all relate to long-term deficits. One of the questions addresses an actual way to fix the deficit. The other two are mere distractions.

1. Why is the spending freeze necessary?

President Barack Obama needs to explain why the spending freeze isn’t a gimmick to make it appear like he’s a budget hawk. Advocates of Obama’s agenda rightly believe a spending freeze is exactly the type of political gimmick the president would normally denounce. The White House is saying this isn’t an across-the-board freeze (meaning not every program will see a freeze). The president needs to provide concrete examples of programs worthy of a reduction and those worthy of an increase. He also needs to say why military procurement wasn’t included in the spending freeze. Also, why aren’t revenue measures included along with a spending freeze?

A.B. Stoddard talks with Pundits Blog contributors Chris Kofinis and John Feehery about what President Barack Obama needs to say in his State of the Union address and how Democrats can keep their majority in Congress.

In the media coverage of the recent United States Supreme Court case involving organizational spending on political campaigns — the Hillary movie case — there is a hint of a follow-up issue on campaign finance law.

The organizational brain behind the Citizens United case, Indiana attorney James Bogg Jr., promises the next test case will challenge disclosure laws requiring identification of people who petition for state laws, in this case, Washington state’s opponents of same-sex marriage. It is argued that anonymity is required to protect petitioners from harassment by gay-rights advocates. Mr. Bogg is candid about his tactic to whittle away at election disclosure laws. Requiring disclosure, he argues, is punitive. Read more...

A headline in today's The Hill newspaper reads, "McCain backs Obama's spending freeze."

It should read, "Obama backs McCain's spending freeze," since Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) proposed as much during his 2008 presidential bid, while candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) opposed it.

The difference between McCain and Obama on this, however, is that while McCain (and most Republicans, in general) think it's probably a good start, Obama thinks it's a huge concession and will nearly break his arm patting himself of the back. It can be just one more reason he can boast to fellow Democrats that they have nothing to worry about this November because, after all, they have HIM.

California’s immigration story is a bittersweet, heart-palpitating tale incapable of arriving upon any hard-line conclusions. An example of this is that on the one hand, immigrants from India and China are upholding Silicon Valley as our American children refuse to embrace the math and sciences — in essence, they are keeping America competitive. While on the other hand, illegal immigrants weigh an enormous economic burden on states services such as: hospital care, education and prison systems.

Hey, Candi Harrison is a retired Federal web worker; she knows how things can get better, and can now speak her mind.

Check out Participation and Collaboration – Let’s Make It Work Read more...

Never forget one of nature's immutable laws: If every cloud has a silver lining, that means every silver lining has a cloud.” At least that's the case when it comes to Washington's nature.

Let's take the thunderbolt from Boston that seems to have shocked the lethargic White House into the realization the voters' anger and fear require jolting action.

Beginning the day after the election that sent a Republican from Massachusetts, of all places, to the Senate, President Barack Obama has switched into his "No more Mr. Nice Guy" mode. Gone is that Joe Cool stuff. The new Message of the Day is that it's time to turn up the temperature. Call that a silver lining.

Like every person on earth, John McCain has both a good and bad side. But because he is a big-time politician, the two sides of the senator play out on the world stage.

With his announcement that he is opposing Ben Bernanke, we are seeing the bad side of John McCain. This is the side that takes the politically expedient path, without thinking through all of the implications.