Bush's State of Union May Be Least Consequential in a Generation, Suggests Congressional Expert; Republicans, Democrats Poised for Period of Productive Compromise.

(From AScribe)

ST. LOUIS -- President George W. Bush's State of the Union address on Jan. 23 may be remembered as one of the least consequential State of the Union addresses in a generation, but its presentation could open the door on a period of real legislative compromise as both parties struggle to bolster reputations in advance of the 2008 elections, suggests Steven Smith, an expert on congressional politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Even though the Republicans took it on the chin in the 2006 election, they're not going to just roll over. They're going to use their ability to obstruct and this will force compromise," says Smith, the author of five books on congressional politics and director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy …