“Never mind what Bush has to say [tonight] on his speech,” says Timothy West. President George W. Bush will say “that the Union is strong, that we we are winning the fight against terrorism, and that America has never been better. And all of it, is of course, 100% bullshit.”

Tonight the President will talk about the economy: how it’s growing and how unemployment is down despite the natural disasters of 2005. This, of course, is bullshit. West points out a report by economist Michael Hodges which puts things in perspective.

In Financial Terrorism Against Seniors, Hodges argues that federal economic policies are hurting senior citizens. “There is no doubt that many senior citizens feel a wave of ‘financial terrorism’ has purposefully been launched against them by their government and the financial sector. They feel their pockets are being picked, each and every day,” he writes.

The spectacular failure of Bush’s new prescription drug plan for seniors underscores the point.

And there’s the fact that most Americans have no idea of even the basics of economics. This ignorance makes Americans quite easy to rip off by just the smallest manipulations.

The President will talk about fiscal discipline and spending restraint tonight. If you did a shot each time he says either phrase, you’ll pass out before the end of the speech. Don’t believe a word of it. The Republicans are nearly as big spenders as the Democrats. The difference is in who they rip off in order to spend all that money. Democrats rip us off through taxation; Republicans rip off our children by borrowing more than the government can pay back. Sometimes each does both. Either way, we all suffer more for every new government program.

The President will talk about rebuilding the Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. He’ll say how important it is to stay the course (!) and redouble our efforts — oh, and our spending — to restore the region to some sense of recovery. He’ll say the plans for rebuilding are being put together at the local and state levels, but keep in mind that he keeps rejecting the plans the local and state levels put forth. That’s more bullshit.

The President will spend a lot of time discussing the so-called war on terrorism and the war in Iraq. He’ll introduce America to the phrase “long war” in describing this war. That phrase means that it’s going to take a long time to eradicate terrorism. But by George, he’s the man to do it! And by George, we need that Patriot Act renewed so we can keep going after the terrorists. This too is bullshit.

I personally plan to sleep through the speech, having a fair idea of what he’s going to say. Late tonight I’ll have a transcript posted and analysis of any other bullshit he comes up with that I haven’t thought of yet.