The State of the Union Address. . . a phrase which probably brings varying emotions depending on who you are. I love to watch these speeches as they give me more insight into the man than into the state of the Union. Most of us already have a pretty good read on how our country is doing. . . the economy, the culture, the defense, threat assessments. . . but, watching the leader of the Free World explain his take helps me grasp where we are headed. I wonder if the citizens of the USA in 1795 felt the same way as they read the Columbian Sentinel from December 19 [1]. President Washington had given his 1st State of the Union Address and it was printed, as all presidential speeches, in the newspaper. We have much to thank George Washington for, as he defined so many aspects of our country, government and the presidency. I think we can add instituting the Annual State of the Union Address [2] to his very long list of accomplishments.