January 28th 2008.
President George W. Bush, flanked by Vice President Dick Cheney and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, before beginning his final State of the Union address, January 28th 2008
It was often the case that the final State of the Union address for a President served as a promotion of administration successes and spinning of failures, furthermore serving to indicate the priorities that the federal government would focus on in the coming year, albeit inevitably being vague ones, given both the difficulty a final year administration has in passing substantive reform and the intense focus instead on the upcoming presidential election. 2007 had been a tough, trying year for the administration of President George W. Bush, indicative of the torrid second term that he had endured. The year had begun with Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress, meaning that any hope of substantive reform for the remainder of his term was virtually nil. Further legislative problems from both sides had plagued the White House, ranging from the failure of comprehensive immigration reform to struggles over the extent of government surveillance programs. Political problems had also come in the form of the forced resignation of the Attorney General in controversy over the firing of several US attorneys, whilst both the economy and War on Terror continued to struggle.
In writing the speech, Bush and his staff elected to focus on broader issues of economic growth and tax cuts, the War on Terror, and domestic priorities of education, veterans and healthcare, providing both a signature of progress and presidential hopes for further effort on them in 2008, even if such progress was unlikely. Large volumes of the Republican faithful in Congress turned out for the speech, as did a number of Democrats out of courtesy for the event, although attendance from both parties and houses was lower than usual, with a fair few not attending due to a lacking desire to spend their evening watching the lacklustre swansong of an increasingly unpopular President. The only Republican candidate in the Senate, John McCain, had elected not to attend due to the upcoming Florida primary, whilst his Democratic rivals of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, themselves locked in a bitter battle for the nomination, attended. Still, despite the lower level of attendance than usual, Bush evidently delighted on camera in the applause, cheers and good wishes of those from across both parties, his Cabinet and the public gallery as he entered the congressional chamber to deliver his final State of the Union.
President George W. Bush, beaming with his usual energy, looked out over the crowd once Speaker Pelosi had brought them to silence, anticipation buzzing within him as he began his final address.
"Thank you all. Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens. Seven years have passed since I first stood before you at this rostrum. In that time, our country has been tested in ways none of us could have imagined. We faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy, and the health and welfare of our citizens. These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it's fair to say, we've answered the call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose, and together we showed the world the power and resilience of American self-government."
The opening passage was delivered well, considering the President's lack of strong rhetorical ability, serving well to those watching on television. The President's next intended words however were cut off, as was the entire television feed for those watching, mere static replacing it. As millions of Americans wondered in confusion what had happened to their viewing, only those near the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. had the first indicator.
An almighty roar, accompanied by a great flash of orange flame, broke into the dark night sky. People outside the building, either close by or several blocks away, stopped in their tracks, gazes fixed upon the sight, their minds only taking a few seconds to work out what it was, an explosion. Whilst this fact was immediately established, no one from those in D.C. who had witnessed the explosion first hand could've imagined how such an action would lead to the start of the most trying year in the history of the United States of America, what would later be termed by historians as the
Year of Hell.
The first close-hand picture in the aftermath of the Capitol Building explosion during President Bush's State of the Union address, January 28th 2008