So, The United States is preparing to develop methods for generating fuel from switch grass. I don’t know what switch grass is, but my gut tells me it’s a lot like brush, and Bush stands to make a killing off this whole arrangement.

There is a Better Way: So, Washington was host once more to the State of the Union. We continue to marvel at the fact that once a year, at a predictable time and place, everyone in our government except the head of the VA gathers in one spot to hear a speech that is, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant (we’re going to Mars on rockets powered by switch grass!). It is, however, one of the bigger events to take place in the D.C., and our local pride was further caressed by the decision to have Virginia Governor Tim Kaine deliver the Democratic rebuttal, a task he handled well, considering the green-ness of his horns. Guv’nor had his eyebrow in check, and, aside from the Shatner pauses in his cadence, he came across as remarkably normal and compelling for an elected official.

Hindsight Alone is not Wisdom. And Second-guessing is not a Strategy: Yesterday, it became clear that the stadium lease, as agreed upon by MLB and city officials, didn’t strike D.C. CFO Natwar Gandhi as conducive to efforts to get the city investment-grade bonds for construction financing. After hearing this criticism, officials returned to the negotiation table and reinserted language deemed necessary for the appeasement of Wall Street. All may be for nought, however, as the Post reveals that the council still might not have the votes to approve the revised lease.

Let us Never Forget the Sacrifices of America’s Military Families: Cindy Sheehan managed to upstage the President’s grand entrance last night, as news organizations reported that she had been detained in the gallery of the House of Representatives. Sheehan, who had been invited to the ceremony by California Rep. Lynn Woolsey, pulled open her robe after taking her seat to reveal a t-shirt displaying the number of dead in Iraq. It seems this is against House etiquette, and she was quickly removed.

Briefly Noted: Maryland Delegate, crusading against gay marriage, almost accidentally outlaws divorce (APPLAUSE)…Virginia Senator hopes to begin a conversation about castration (APPLAUSE)…Metro voice contest winner announced today (APPLAUSE)…UDC getting more expensive (APPLAUSE).

Picture taken by birdcage.