Tuesday night Gov. Doyle delivered his final State of the State. Job creation is job one on the governor’s agenda, but so much more has been accomplished in the past eight years. Even with the economic collapse caused by the failed policies of the Bush administration and at-times Republican leadership that did everything but yell “You lie,” the governor’s accomplishments are impressive by any measure.

Consider: 98 percent of Wisconsinites have access to health care, stem cell research is leading the nation, technology is progressing, public education is thriving and as the governor so slyly intoned “even the Republican-leaning Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance has had to grudgingly acknowledge our progress” when it comes to lowering the tax burden. Not bad, huh?

The governor's track record is so strong he's a lock for re-election to his third term ... Oh, wait! Forget that. Hey, did you catch the news that unemployment is up in 69 of Wisconsin's 72 counties? Or that this current state budget, cut in secret and based on rosy projections, is already more than $200 million out of whack? Maybe you missed the part about Wisconsin having a $2.7 billion (with a B) deficit? Yes, Doyle expanded Badger Care Plus to include people without children (it's the new welfare after all) -- that is yet another example of an expanding government program whose costs exceeded budget projections. Education? Man, those schools in MPS are real beauties, aren't they? Look, this week's speech was a metaphor for Doyle's tenure as governor: An uninspiring piece devoid of bold solutions and ignorant, or worse yet ambivalent, to the harsh realities facing Wisconsin families and businesses.

Unemployment fell the entire second half of the year. The Recovery Act is beginning to work, and this set back will hopefully be a one-month hiccup. Despite the Republican cheerleading for failure, the fact is we might finally be emerging from the Bush recession, and in Wisconsin, we have the Gov and the lege to thank for their decisive action. The structural deficit is what it is: something that existed back to era when Tommy treated state finances like his personal thank you fund for business. It’s funny that access by people to health care is welfare (or, gasp, socialism), but access by business to the state coffers is supposed to bidness as usual. And before I forget, huge hats off to Gov. Doyle for three times vetoing one of the worst pieces of legislation to be birthed from the bowels of the GOP -- Voter ID.

Funny listening to you and Rep. Pocan talk about jobs, jobs, jobs now, considering you spend most of your waking moments attacking the job providers, trying to make it harder and less financially lucrative for people and businesses to take risks that lead to greater employment. You are constantly using "corporations" and "fat cats" as your rhetorical whipping boys. Those new polling cross tabs must be downright ugly for you to all of a sudden talk about "jobs." As for the State of the State Speech, I think Rep. Vos had it right when he called it "a huge disappointment." Doyle talks about a few job creation efforts he's made, but he ignores the fact the state continues to bleed jobs, every day, every week and every month now -- all under his watch.

No doubt it was bad luck for Gov. Doyle to serve while Bush and your pals like Paul Ryan raided the Treasury and bankrupted our nation. But it was good luck for Wisconsin, because our most critical priorities and the state's morality to serve those most in need was preserved. Bush's endless unrealistic budget thinking is personified by Scott Walker’s plan to yank $2 billion out of the state (on top of the $2.7 billion with a B deficit) and dole it out overwhelmingly to the rich and corporations. How does he pay for that $2 billion?

Liberals always worry about "paying" for tax cuts but never about paying for programs that cost money. As for your W and Ryan rant, how nice it must be to live in your world where, when things go bad, you can just blame the bogeyman of the day and never, ever, take responsibility. Congrats, though, on making it a whole week without mentioning Haliburton. Those self-help tapes may be slowly working. Face it, Gov. Doyle limps out of the East Wing with sky high joblessness and the state's economy in a shambles. His big push for reform at MPS dies among infighting in his own party. His DNR can't manage the white-tailed deer hunting season. He's pushing for a jobs-killing global warming bill right at the same time the world is discovering the Earth is entering a period of prolonged cooling. Scot, I don't envy you, but that is especially true this week. You had to assert and defend the indefensible. Everyone understands The State of the State is awful. Well, almost everyone.