SNEAK PEEK: State of the Union, Mitt Romney? "Good"
President Bush delivers his final State of the Union on Monday night
January 28, 2008— -- 1 day until the Florida primary (Democrats/Republicans)
7 days until Super Tuesday
President Bush delivers his seventh and final State of the Union address tonight but don't expect him to wax nostalgic about his legacy – not a surprise to anyone who has watched this president closely over his two terms.
Perhaps more interesting than the speech itself will be the dynamics on display in the House Chamber.
Will Hillary Clinton chat up Ted Kennedy after his rousing speech endorsing Barack Obama this afternoon? Which undecided or unpledged Members of Congress try to position themselves near their two colleagues running for President?
As of today, 17 Democratic Senators have endorsed in the presidential race with 10 going for Clinton and 7 going for Obama.
But let's not get too ahead of ourselves – President Bush is still in charge for one more year.
ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports that White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the President's speech will be "focused on the future" and will "reflect the President's mind set that he is going to sprint to the finish."
For the money line ("The state of our union is…"), President Bush has never used an adjective less than "strong" or "confident." Today on CNN, Mitt Romney said: "The state of the union is good."
With voters concerned about the state of the economy, expect the President to call on Congress to move quickly on the economic stimulus package and make his tax cuts permanent.
According to excerpts released by the White House tonight, President Bush will make a plea to Congress to show bipartisanship in this election year. "[L]et us show them that Republicans and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate for results at the same time," Bush will say.
(Who will the cuts camera show when he utters this line? Clinton, Obama or Ted Kennedy?)
The race to replace Bush hits Florida tomorrow, with a winner-take-all battle for 57 delegates on the Republican side and a beauty contest for zero delegates on the Democratic side.
There will be no winner projected until after the polls close at 8:00 pm ET.
Things to look for in the Sunshine State's Republican primary:
-- Will the clutch endorsements from Gov. Crist and Sen. Martinez give John McCain that extra boost to pull out a close win?
-- Florida is a closed primary, so only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary and only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary. If McCain can beat Mitt Romney, he shows that he can win Republican voters and does not have to rely on independents playing in the GOP primaries, like in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
-- Assuming the polls are remotely accurate, and Rudy Giuliani is stuck in the mid-teens, the former mayor is going to have to pull of the biggest Hail Mary pass since Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan. Giuliani compared himself to the underdog New York Football Giants last week, but even the most optimistic Giants fan would not want Eli to have to rely on the long ball with the game on the line.
-- Can Romney's constant refrain on the economy turn out economic conservatives, especially in that gold mine of Republican voters, the I-4 corridor?
The Democratic race is just a beauty contest – there are no delegates at stake since Florida set its primary date prior to February 5, 2008 in violation of Democratic National Committee rules.
The Democratic presidential candidates signed a pledge not to campaign in Florida out of respect for the four early voting states, but that hasn't stopped some from finding a way to get around that pledge and pop into the state.
The Clinton campaign is certainly trying to make Florida seem like it counts – at least in terms of momentum going into Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. Clinton heads south to Florida on Tuesday night after the polls close and has pledged to work to seat the delegates from Florida at next summer's convention.
On the campaign trail. . .
JOHN MCCAIN
-- 8:45 am ET: Visits polling station with Governor Charlie Crist, St. Petersburg, FL
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends election night event with voters, Miami, FL
MITT ROMNEY
-- 9:45 am ET: Holds event with voters, Tampa, FL
-- 7:30 pm ET: Holds election night event with voters, St. Petersburg, FL
RUDY GIULIANI
-- 8:15 am ET: Visits with supporters at event, Miami Beach, FL
-- 10:00 am ET: Visits with supporters at event, Pompano Beach, FL
-- 11:45 am ET: Visits with supporters at event, Delray Beach, FL
-- Delivers election night remarks at event, Orlando, FL
MIKE HUCKABEE
-- 7:30 am ET: Visits polling station with supporters and voters, Tampa, FL
-- 8:30 am ET: Visits polling station with supporters and voters, Tampa, FL
-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds press conference to announce endorsements, Jefferson City, MO
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends fundraiser with supporters, St. Louis, MO (closed press)
-- 9:00 pm ET: Attends election night event with voters, St. Louis, MO
As for the Democrats. . .
BARACK OBAMA
-- 12:45 pm ET: Attends event with voters, El Dorado, KS
-- 6:45 pm ET: Attends town hall meeting with voters, Kansas City, MO
-- Travels to Denver, CO
HILLARY CLINTON
-- Travels to Florida
BILL CLINTON
-- 10:15 am ET: Holds rally with voters, Blackwood, NJ
JOHN EDWARDS
-- 9:45 am ET: Holds event with voters, Tulsa, OK
-- 1:00 pm ET: Holds event with voters, Jefferson City, MO
-- 7:45 pm ET: Holds event with voters, St. Paul, MN
MIKE GRAVEL
-- 7:00 pm ET: Attends event with voters, Wilton Manor, FL
At the White House. . .
PRESIDENT BUSH
-- 11:15 am ET: Visits the Jericho Program, Baltimore, MD
-- 11:30 am ET: Meets with Jericho Program graduates, Baltimore, MD
-- 12:00 pm ET: Delivers statements on faith-based and community initiatives, Baltimore, MD
-- 5:20 pm ET: Meets with Joint Chiefs and combatant commanders, Washington, DC
POLITICAL NEWS STORIES AT ABCNEWS.COM
ABC News' Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos Reports: Last Chance for Bush Legacy LINK
ABC News' Ann Compton Reports: Bush Threatens More Vetoes in Final Year LINK
ABC News' Avni Patel Reports: Obama Kept Contributions From Accused Fixer's Wife and Others LINK
ABC News' Emily Friedman Reports: Is Clinton Scrutinized About Her Looks Too Much? LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: False Pushback from Clinton Allies LINK
ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Clinton Invites Bush to Come Out on the Road LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Assessing Bush's State of the Unions Through His Skutniks LINK
ABC News' Teddy Davis and Talal Al-Khatib Report: Obama Backer to Rebut Bush LINK
ABC News' Jan Simmonds Reports: Giuliani Says the Test Is Florida LINK
ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Sharpton to Bill Clinton: 'Shut Up' LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: Jesse Not Upset at Bubba Slam LINK
ABC News' Jake Tapper Reports: I See Dead People LINK
POLITICAL VIDEO AT ABCNEWS.COM
'The Note' Rewinds the Week's Best MomentsABC News' Senior Political Reporter Rick Klein on the weekly political roundup. LINK
Camelot Comes Out for ObamaThe Kennedy mystique still strikes a powerful cord in the Democratic party. LINK
Obama embraced by the Kennedy ClanSen. Edward Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy give Obama huge endorsement. LINK
Two-Man Dogfight in FloridaRomney emphasizes economy, and McCain keeps focus on Iraq. LINK
Secret Weapon is HumorSen. John McCain hams it up to drive his points home. LINK
Sharpton to Bill: 'Shut Up'The civil rights activist wants the former president to tone down his rhetoric LINK
Kennedy: 'I Feel Change in the Air'Sen. Ted Kennedy backs Sen. Obama's presidential bid. LINK
Caroline Kennedy Endorses ObamaKennedy says Obama offers "same sense of hope and inspiration" as her father. LINK
McCain Calls Romney Flip FlopperMcCain on Romney: "He has consistently taken at least two sides of every issue." LINK
Race to Super TuesdayPolitical strategists James Carville and Matthew Dowd discuss the tight race. LINK
Politics UncensoredRepublicans prepare for the high-stakes Florida primary. LINK
Bush Gets Tough on EarmarksABC's Ann Compton sits down with Bush in advance of the State of the Union. LINK
State of the Union PreviewPresident Bush to make the last address of his administration before Congress. LINK