Looking and sounding appropriately grave, President George W. Bush delivered his Farewell Address to the nation last evening. He only preempted 15 minutes of programming and talked for about 13…but did it feel to anyone else that his speech utterly dragged on for ever? Once it was all over, I was wondering if Inauguration Day had already come and gone.

But no, not just yet it hasn’t. And as of today, President Bush can still make as many speeches as he want and we’ll all hum “All Hail the Chief” when he walks into a room. But Barack Obama’s day in the Oval Office draws ever nearer - the event which promises to go down in Washington history is less than one week away.

In his speech, Bush pat himself on the back and spoke lengthy words of praise for America as a nation. He related stories of the aftermath from 9/11. He spoke hopefully of how strong the country shall one day be. He even seemed to provide a rare glimpse into his daily life as President, pointing out that life never returned to normal for him after the chilling terrorist attacks on the country.

There were no tears, there was very little emotion. There was even a lack of the characteristic Bush smiles and countrified sayings. It was, all in all, a fairly sad little fizzle compared to the fireworks that marked the exciting election season. Bush is oh-so-quietly stepping down from office, somehow in an ending that seems lacking for a man who will fill pages and pages in history books. His sedate, somber farewell speech is not what we’ll remember of him in years to come.

Bush spoke of his own optimism, but somehow his deadpan words were not very inspiring. There is always a sense of sadness when the highest office of the land is passed on to a new successor, but for Bush the transition is obviously bittersweet. He was one of the least popular presidents this country has ever known. He was satirized, impersonated and talked about perhaps more than any other leading figure. He was even the subject of more than one comedy series. He was our president, and he is a man who has ever believed that his legacy will last for many, many generations to come.

But his farewell speech, a very abysmal affair, will not.