Will we once again reelect the incumbents? Or will we return the other bunch of scalawags to office and start another cycle of impeachments and nonsense. One of of these two outcomes seems certain. Would this happen if the population took stock of the State of the Union that Republicans and Democrats together have cobbled together over the past 5 decades:

1. A nation at war with a notion. The international terror shadow enemy is hard to find and hard to defeat with conventional armies and arms. The 911 Commission outlined a 41 point program that the administration has largely ignored with the following results:
   
1. Shooting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tension with Korea and Iran
   
2. Excesses including the Military Commission Act and Torture undermine freedoms and moral authority
   
3. Our country is being isolated from our traditional allies and has not forged necessary relationships with China and other emerging powers
   
4. Concern that this war is a foil for a domestic power grab and profiteering
   
2. A nation at war with itself. The war on drugs and other victimless crimes is one of the most destructive the nation has faced:
• Underground economy,  lifestyles, crime for dealers and consumers alike
• Domestic law enforcement costs, excesses
  
• International impacts
  
3. Public concern over manipulation of elections
   
1. McCain Feingold Campaign finance reform
2. Abramhoff and other lobbying scandals, foreign lobby scandals
3. Voter Registration scandals and manipulations (Motor Voter Act)
   
4. Vote counting disputes from hanging chads to Diebold hacks and a paper trail
   
5. Structural disenfranchisement of the losers
6. Low voter turnout suggests education problems, lack of confidence and apathy
4. Botched execution of long and short term initiatives
1. Education, employment, health care, poverty, race, social welfare
   
2. Disaster preparation, response and rebuilding (Katrina and other hurricanes)
3. Waste and corruption in the government leadership and bureaucracy
4. Immigration
5. Intensly complicated, invasive and economically unsound tax system
   
5. A deep philosophical shift that values safety ahead of liberty. Have Americans become so risk averse that they are losing competitive advantage worldwide?