The state of the union speech Barack Obama would never give
By Neil Macdonald, CBC News
With few exceptions (such as Gerald Ford's blunt 1975 assessment that "the state of the union is not good"
the president's annual report to Congress is an exercise in reassuring Americans they are exceptional, blessed by God, leading the world, and headed for better things.
Last night's was no different; at best, it amounted to an optimistic statement of intent by a president who has been thwarted constantly by other arms of government since assuming office.
So, let's imagine what an outsider like, say, me, might submit if asked for a more succinct, less varnished assessment of the state of the American union. It would probably go something like this:
"My fellow Americans,
"A month after I assumed office, in the midst of a financial crisis that terrified us all, I stood in this place and promised we would not just recover, but that we would emerge stronger.
"Well, five years later that hasn't happened for most of us. To quote a common jape, the economy's doing well, except for most of the people in it.
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as President and you never had a single chance with Congress. 
