President Bush began his State of the Union address by telling jokes about his wife and his trip to Japan.

And it went downhill from there.

The president told the American people that he was going to speak of big things, big changes and big problems.

But what people heard was really no big deal.

Bush announced what seemed like major cuts in defense spending. But when seriously looked at, the cuts will save only $50 billion over the next five years. That's only a drop in the bucket when the Defense Department's annual budget is almost $300 billion.

Although it is good that we are getting rid of some nuclear weapons, the Democrats have already proposed a cut in the defense budget doubling the one Bush put forward.

But the defense cuts are not the only idea that Bush has borrowed from his political rivals.

He is calling for an extension of unemployment benefits and a revision of the health care system -- ideas first proposed by Democrats.

Sen. Harris Wofford, for example, ran for Senate on a campaign that revolved around a national health care system. But the plan Bush proposed was barely described and did not offer a way to pay for it.

Perhaps what is most troubling is that Bush must react to the problems facing the country because he failed to show leadership earlier in his presidency. Now he sees a country in trouble and his political future on the line.

Bush should acknowledge that the Democrats have some worthwhile ideas and work with them if he wants to help the country out.

If not, he should just stick to telling jokes.