Date Night ..............

"OK,  to show solidarity and bi-partisanship and that you all really like me, and acknowledge and respect me as your president,  I want half of you people on this side to go sit with half of those people on that side and vice versa. And to show even more, why don't you guys all hold hands on this "date night," as the press is calling it, where is Keith, anyway, maybe he can have that vacant post we have now. Nancy, why don't you hold John's hand, and Barney, why don't you hold ............. OH, I see you already have someones hand...."

Date Night ...... in Washington

The State of the Union address is a solemn affair. The president lays out his goals and accomplishments before a gathering of the powerful from across the government: Supreme Court justices, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, of course, Congress.


It's serious business. But this year it's earned a new nickname from pundits and lawmakers alike: Date Night!

To show their commitment to bipartisanship, some senators and representatives have pledged to sit with a member of the other party while listening to the president's speech.

It may sound trivial, but to people who watch Congress like a sport, this will be riveting. It's like the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins hanging out for a post-game beer. Coke and Pepsi talking bottle tops. Mozart and Salieri comparing compositions.