Compare and contrast
Yesterday, as The Leader Of The Free World had his minions put the finishing touches to his State of the Union address, the Independent published a Real State of the Union on its front page. Presented as a list of statistics - many of them unsavoury - it made for shocking reading, even by such committed anti-Bushies as me.

But this approach by the Indie upset Robin, not on any political grounds, but because of the simple, tabloid nature of the stunt. He felt that a newspaper with such a title should not be making such a bold political statement, particularly in the lack of any context, or without an alternative view from the Bush camp.

And although, emotionally speaking, nothing could ever hope to justify figures like those printed by the Independent, the old darling's got a point.

So here, for the benefit of all those who, like Robin, want to see the two views side by side, is a selection of both the stats and key quotes from Little George's Show and Tell on the hill...

Pride in the troops
Many of our troops are listening tonight. And I want you and your families to know: America is proud of you.

0: Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq

36%: Increase in the number of desertions from the US army since 1999

The economy
In the last three years, adversity has also revealed the fundamental strengths of the American economy.

$127 billion: Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001

$374 billion: Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003. This year's deficit is on course to be the biggest in United States history

$1.58 billion: Average amount by which the US national debt increases each day

$23,920: Amount of each US citizen's share of the national debt as of 19 January 2004

Health
I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance... A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription. By keeping costs under control, expanding access, and helping more Americans afford coverage, we will preserve the system of private medicine that makes America's health care the best in the world.

43.6 million: Number of Americans without health insurance in 2002

The world's policeman
America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire.

130: Number of countries (out of total of 191 recognised by the United Nations) with an American military presence

Taxes
Congress has some unfinished business on the issue of taxes. The tax reductions you passed are set to expire.

88%: Percentage of American citizens who will save less than $100 on their 2006 federal taxes as a result of 2003 cut in capital gains and dividends taxes

$42,000: Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes

$116,000: Amount Vice-President Cheney is expected to save each year in taxes

Jobs
America's growing economy is also a changing economy. As technology transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more productive, and workers need new skills... So we must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs in our new economy.

2.4 million: Number of Americans who have lost their jobs during the three years of the Bush administration

1,000: Number of new jobs created in the entire country in December. Analysts had expected a gain of 130,000

+6%: Percentage change since 2001 in the number of US families in poverty

War!
My administration, and this Congress, will give you (the troops) the resources you need to fight and win the war on terror.

9: Number of members of Bush's defence policy board who also sit on the corporate board of, or advise, at least one defence contractor

Justice for all
America is the land of second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.

As Governor of Texas, George Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any governor in modern US history.

3: Number of children convicted of capital offences executed in the US in 2002. America is only country openly to acknowledge executing children

There's plenty more where all that came from, about the greed of the Bush administration, the desperate state of Iraq, and many other issues.

But it's that last figure that probably sickens me most. Does the world really want a man who allows children to be put to death leading the most powerful nation in the world for another four years?

Take all this information, from both sides of the story, and share it with whoever you can. Hopefully the figures will speak for themselves.