YOU LIE! Just thought we'd get that out of the way right off the bat.

As usual, we'll be watching --- and Tweeting --- the State of the Union right along with ya. And maybe even with Justices Scalia, Alito and Thomas, all of whom are reportedly skipping the speech tonight. Guess they have better things to do.

In what is described as an "unprecedented" move, National Journal has posted what is said to be the complete text of the speech in advance of the usual embargo.

Have any thoughts along the way (or after)? Feel free to share 'em below in comments...

TWITTER: @GreenNewsReport
VIA SMART PHONE: Stitcher Radio!

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Getting "Gas"-y at the Oscars; Freakin' Frackin'; Natural disasters are expensive; Catastrophic flooding, drought around the world ... PLUS: The State of the Union ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!

Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com.

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Texans rebel against TransCanada oil pipeline; McCain: 'Ethanol is a joke'; China leapfrogs past U.S. in wind power industry; Secret EPA study implicates new pesticide in decline of bees; Bloom fuel cell breakthrough (in financing); Is Biomass clean or dirty energy?; Warnings on leaky Alaska pipeline two years ago; Record melt of Greenland Ice Sheet in 2010; House GOP to grill Oil Spill Commission; More battles over mountaintop coal mining projects in Appalachia; Big cleanup questions linger at Hanford Nuclear Superfund site ... PLUS: 10 Common Misconceptions About California's Cap-and-Trade Program ....

I sure hope Cindy's there tonight to help make things lively! Ah, memories. Otherwise, here's your annual SOTU open thread. We'll be watching along with you...

Prepared text of speech now here...

UPDATE 1/28/10, 1:10pm PT: "Mandation Nation". Just flagging, for posterity, the three most noteworthy sideshow moments, as I had noted eacj in comments last night as they happened, since we now have the video of each, courtesy of Shannyn Moore's compilation (and AKMuckraker's "Mandation Nation"). Palin on Obama's "mandation for health care"; Matthews' racial forgetfullness; and Republican Justice Alito as the new Joe Wilson. All three videos now follow below...

Back in 2001, I wondered about the same thing. Why is the first address to a joint session of Congress in a new President's term not called a "State of the Union" address? And isn't a State of the Union message required by the Constitution every year?

I'm on the road this week (and next), so I'm short on time to find out the answers to those questions. If anyone has the answers, or any other thoughts on tonight's address to a joint session of Congress by President Barack Hussein Obama, please feel free to share them in comments...

Update: Thanks to commenter "Jon in Iowa", for the link to CNN's explanation of the above questions.

Update 7:32pm PT: Minority Off!

Leave your Open Thread thoughts on tonight's State of the Union Speech in comments below...

POST-SOTU UPDATE: The Republicanists at Fox "News" just can't help themselves, even for the State of the Union...

UPDATE 8:10pm PT: Following the (supposedly) "centrist" response to the SOTU, offered up by the scared-to-death Democratic "leadership", in the person of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sibelius, a real response to Bush's SOTU was sent out by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI). The short response follows below in full, and serves to remind us what reality looks like...

Apparently, it's just fine to break the law, as long as the economy is seen as being bad...

Seriously, we must remember to speak with Hoyer and Pelosi about this terrific bridge we've got for sale. We're certain they'd be interested.

And while there seems to be confusion in the Kucinich camp concerning the Election "Recount" in NH (more soon on that, hopefully), at least there's no confusion for Kucinich when it comes to what's going on in either the White House, or among his party's "leadership," according to the New York Times:

Yes, a lie. Some 935 of them to be exact-ish, on just one aspect of what the Kucinich Impeachment articles will detail.

As we reported last December, Kucinich has been preparing, for some time, to file Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush. While the Democratic "Leadership" may not like the notion, it should come as welcome news to the country's few remaining admirers of the U.S. Constitution.

Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer

There are three things that I can count on in life beginning with the sun coming up tomorrow and that when it comes up I will be a day older. A close third, is that every Saturday night on the McLaughlin Group, Tony Blankley will make a hypocritical statement. And tonight proved typical.

In this 1:55 clip (January 27, 2007), McLaughlin asks the panel whether Virginia Senator Jim Webb, who delivered an impressive rebuttal to Bush's lackluster State of the Union speech last week, has the credentials to be President. Eleanore Clift then sets Blankley off by calling his chickenhawk friends in the White House chickenhawks.

Got a call late in the day from the folks at the Lars Larson Show to come on the show following Tony Snow to talk about the State of the Union address.

If you're not familiar with Lars, he's a hard right, fiercely "conservative", widely-syndicated national talk radio host in the Rush/Hannity tradition. If you've heard me on his show before, you'll know that fireworks usually occur. Tonight was no exception, though he was a bit more subdued than usual, and was singing a new tune from previous appearances when it comes to Election Integrity and the need for a paper BALLOT (not "trail" or "record) for every vote cast.

Lars and I talked about the SOTU, N. Korea, the dismal treatment of vets by the Bush Administration, Election Integrity, the right-wing Swiftboating of Barbara Boxer and John Kerry bowing out of the 'Clusterf#@k to the White House 2008'...

Sadly, he took no calls during the short appearance, so we didn't get to hear from his wingnut base this time around. Oh, well. Still a fun appearance, I think. But you tell me.

I've cut out the commercials (you're welcome) as well as the Snow interview just before me since it was the same old tired WH spin (you're welcome again). Enjoy our latest round of "Brad Plays Audio Whackamole!"

-- Brad on Lars Larson Show, 1/24/07 [MP3, appx. 19 mins.]

One interesting --- dare we say, hopeful --- point we just noticed about last night's speech.

In the text transcript at the White House website, the speech was written to end, curiously enough, with the following words:

"See you next year"???

Anybody ever recall such an ending to a State of the Union address?! Now why would they include something like that, one has to wonder.

But as odd as it was to include those words in the first place, what's even more interesting is that Bush didn't say them, choosing instead to end simply with "God bless."

Shall we take this as an encouraging omen? I say we do.

With more than 5600 words in his State of the Union speech, Bush couldn't cobble together five or six of them to thank our 1.6 million new American Veterans? Let alone recognize the continuing horrors they face and what our country plans to do to help them?

A press release from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America find that pretty crappy. So do we.

Why does George W. Bush hate our troops?

Last year, during the SOTU, we spent all night live blogging the inappropriate arrest of Cindy Sheehan for wearing a T-shirt to the State of the Union address. And, naturally, the misreporting of it by CNN, AP et al. We're hoping for a less eventful SOTU tonight, personally, but lord only knows what could happen. If it does, we'll be here.

But so will you. So, to that end, consider this a SOTU Open Thread. Have at it!

To get you warmed up, if you need it, see the rather hysterical parody SOTU at right and the quite amusing Democratic response that follows. We're sure neither will be anything at all like the actual versions. (Hat-tip Atrios for the vid.)

For your more serious types, RAW STORY has advance excerpts from the speech right here and Webb's response right here.

And if you're wondering what came of our call for Sen. Jim Webb to be allowed to give his Democratic Party Response to the full joint session of Congress just after Bush, here's the final word from Speaker Pelosi's office on it.

Oh...and if you're interested, I was on San Antonio's KTSA with Chris Duel this afternoon discussing it (and delighting everyone in Texas by calling George W. Bush a criminal!) That radio appearance is right here [MP3, appx. 15 mins]

See you in Comments (unless events warrant an update here)...

As previously mentioned, we've received some comments from Nancy Pelosi's office in reply to our initial editorial and subsequent follow-up calling on Congressional Democrats to assert the branch's co-equal powers by allowing Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) to give his State of the Union Response Address to the full joint session of Congress. That, instead of relegating the response to the usual, audience-free, less-than-impressive, impossible-to-compete, unlevel playing field of a makeshift TV studio somewhere.

In a conversation yesterday with the office, I was told there were no "Constitutional issues" to keep Webb from addressing the full joint session as some callers to Pelosi's office, encouraging her to allow it, may have been told. And, in fact, the aide I spoke to, speaking on background, felt the idea was "brilliant" and it might be something to consider for next year. This year, however, the logistics would make it impossible at this late date.

I'd admit to still being somewhat unclear on exactly what the logistical problems would be. It seems that it would simply be a matter of keeping the joint session open after Bush is finished and giving the podium to Webb and allowing him to give his address to the assembled members and officials. Logistical issues concerning Secret Service sweeps and such surrounding a POTUS visit being an issue handled separately.

However, I'm told there is some form of joint resolution that is passed by both chambers each year to allow for the President's address to Congress and perhaps it is that resolution which would need to be amended to allow the floor to stay open after the intial SOTU speech has concluded.

In any case, here is the official statement as emailed from Pelosi's communication director, Brendan Daly, which seems to close the door on the matter for this year. Unfortunately...