THE DISTRICT of Columbia has been called the Hollywood of the East, minus the glamour. It is a city consumed with itself, existing on an overinflated, out-of-touch sense of importance, sheltered from the realities of a challenged world. Although I think it has glamour in its own way, the rest of this description is spot on.

I work on Capitol Hill, and we really get our Hollywood on come State of the Union night. The "SOTU," as it is known among Hill staffers, is our Oscars, and Capitol Hill tends to buzz that evening, regardless of what political party resides in the White House. From SOTU-watching parties to SOTU-drinking games, where shots are taken every time the president repeats certain poll-tested language, staff members--who never really left the fraternity scene--love this night. It can be an embarrassing sight, especially when taking into consideration what the speech has become.

Saturated with rhetoric and delivered before an audience that has already made up its mind, the State of the Union speech is anything but a description of our nation's condition. It has become a presentation that no one believes will amount to anything, and a chance for the president to set lofty goals that are forgotten by week's end.

And there is no accountability for these grandiose speeches or for those who deliver them. On this night, the president is reminiscent of Mel Kiper Jr., the NFL draft "guru" who manages to keep his day job despite his failure to correctly analyze players in the draft. No one really seems to care because it is all part of the show.

JUST LIKE 'HAPPY DAYS'

Which brings us to this year, when President Obama's speechwriters dusted off past SOTU addresses to get him through the evening. Ever see a sitcom where it seems like the writers decided to take the week off and throw together some old clips in an effort to make a "flashback" episode? It usually starts with the show's family sitting on the couch in their living room looking at a family photo album. Before you know it they are talking good times, the picture gets hazy, and suddenly you are watching clips from five years ago. Think "Happy Days" or "The Simpsons."