Expectations were high from audience members of both parties January 27, as George W. Bush took the podium to deliver his State of the Union address.

In politically pivotal times such as these, with a war brewing, the economy in suffering, and countless other heated issues up for debate, a State of the Union address carries high stakes for both the President himself, and the coarse of U.S. actions in the near future.

As President Bush eloquently pointed out, without a doubt, this is a “time of great consequence.”

The first issue addressed Wednesday was a whopping tax cut, a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Bush promised that this bill, which has already been approved by congress, will immediately save 92 million middle-class American families an average of $1,100 annually.

He also argued for the abolishment of dividend taxes, which he called unfair, since the profits of the company are taxed before the dividends are given to the shareholders.

The next major issue he proposed to solve was Health Care reform. “Our second goal, ” he said, “is high quality, affordable health care for all Americans.”

He went on to pledge $400 billion in his budget over the next ten years to strengthen and refurbish the Medicare system. He highlighted affordable medication for seniors on Medicare and legislation to combat frivolous malpractice lawsuits against doctors in his plan to better public health care.

Bush went on to read a laundry list of proposed budget allocations. He proposed $1.2 billion for research into the development of a practical hydrogen-powered car, in an effort to reduce America’s air pollution. $600 million was allocated for programs helping parentless and disadvantaged children.

Bush addressed drug addiction and recognized it as a large problem facing American society today. He proposed $300 million for drug treatment over the next three years.

In an interesting digression, Bush spoke out strongly against human cloning in all forms, saying, “…no human life should be started or ended as the object of an experiment.” He also damned partial-birth abortion.

One of the more unexpected and talked about bombshells dropped by the President was the proposal of $15 billion to combat A.I.D.S. in Africa.

He said that it was America’s responsibility, as a prosperous nation, to extend help to others in need. Pointing out that 30 million Africans are infected today, in some places amounting to one out of three adults.

He argued that money sent to Africa for A.I.D.S. relief would be both benevolent and highly effective at improving the quality of life for millions of out global neighbors.

Inevitably, he moved on to the war on terror. He boasted a great deal of success, siting over 3,000 suspected terrorists in custody. He added that much more needs to be done to make America safe from terror.

He then proposed $6 billion for a program called “Bioshield,” in order to develop vaccines and treatments in case of chemical or biological attack.

Inevitably, he moved on to the disarmament of Saddam Hussein. He began to systematically list violations and deceptions of the Iraqi government regarding weapons inspections and disarmament.

He specifically pointed out munitions and other contraband that Iraq was known to possess that has not been accounted for to this day. He angrily declared that Hussein is an insane tyrant, a ticking time-bomb, and must be disarmed now.

He brought absolutely no new information to the forum, but promised more detailed and newer evidence of Iraq’s non-compliance.

While he did not promise war, he did make very clear that this problem would be dealt with in a timely fashion, whatever the cost.

He finished his speech preparing America for war an imparting words of inspiration and encouragement to the American people. He championed freedom and peace, and courage in the face of adversity.

With his final words, he asked God for guidance, and continued blessings for the U.S. The address ran one hour.