It's ironic, isn't it; George Bush, currently (illegally and illegitimately in my view) residing in the White House, is set to give the annual State of the Union address tonight to a joint session of Congress, one of the few regular imperial spectacles of the American Republic.

But the only thing people are talking about is the question of who's going to be giving that speech in two years (as an aside, the Democratic insider conversation right now concerns the extent of the expected electoral cataclysm should Hillary Clinton secure the nomination. The word of the day: ruinous).

There's a lesson in all of these conversations: George Bush is a political corpse. With two years left in his term, people are ready to be rid of the man; and by people, clearly, we're not just talking about Democrats.

At some point in the next few months, Bush will, if present trends continue on their steady march, become a greater liability for republicans in office than removed from it. The day will likely dawn when defending the political corpse of George Bush will become too politically painful and expensive for republicans; at which point, the country can begin to have the serious conversation about impeachment that our Constitution demands.

If you're watching the speech tonight, pay close attention to who claps, and how hard. The extent of the customary adulation rendered to the office, not the man, may be significantly less than expected.