So Obama, Reagan, Nixon and Truman walk into a bar...

There's no sense in burying the lead – probable topics of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech are easy to pinpoint: the bankrupt economy, war and that other thing we never hear about, health care reform.

In 1981, Ronald Reagan became president during one of the worst economic climates our country has ever seen. A year ago, a New York Times story compared the current the economic meltdown to that of 1982. He notes that more than half of America is too young to remember 1982. I wasn't even born.

The signs were the same: oil prices jumped, home sales bottomed out and jobs were lost faster than college students lose their keys.

"We have an economic program in place, completely different from the artificial quick fixes of the past," Reagan said in his 1982 State of the Union Address. Funny, he thought artificial quick fixes were of the past (think: cash4clunkers, then think: I need a cocktail).

For those who can remember 1982, the phrase "economic recovery" is probably annoying. Reagan said it five times in 82 – Obama dropped it 13 times in his inauguration speech last year.

When you think Richard Nixon you probably think Watergate or impeachment. My friend, Nixon expert and London School of Economics graduate Justin Roth, tells me that way back in 1968 Nixon was elected on the promise of solving the Vietnam War, but after the first year things weren't any better.

Obama can certainly relate. Folks across the country with George W. Bush’s face on bulls’ eyes voted for “change.” Obama was supposed to get troops out of Iraq by Jan. 21, 2009. Now it’s Jan. 21, 2010 and they are still there.

In 1970, Americans probably expected strong words from the president full of exit strategy promises. Instead, in Nixon’s State of the Union address he said, "I do not intend to go through a detailed listing of what I have proposed or will propose.” He did, however, talk about some things important to those concerned about Vietnam, like clean air and living the American dream.

In 1945, President Harry Truman proposed a program to improve health care in the United States. Before Congress in 1946 Truman explained his proposal, “One of the best possible contributions toward building a stronger, healthier nation would be a permanent school-lunch program on a scale adequate to assure every school child a good lunch at noon.” Maybe that’s where Jamie Oliver got his idea for how to save Huntington.

Last year during his inauguration speech, Obama touched on each of these themes. He pushed for better health coverage by hitting listeners where it hurts – their wallets. “The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year,” he warned, “yet we keep delaying reform.”

No doubt Obama will ask for bipartisan approval of his proposed health care plan. He may even mention Scott Brown’s upset of the “people’s” seat in Massachusetts.

He also made a promise that so far, has not seen fruition. “I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war,” he said. He may have plans, but action is implied.

“The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere,” Obama reminded Americans during his inauguration speech. A year later and the impact of the recession is even more real. Like Visa, it’s everywhere you want to be… but can’t get to because you lost your job.

There are more questions than answers to what exactly the state of our union is. Obama has a lot to bring Americans up to speed on – and it better be good, after all, he is preempting American Idol.

If you'd like to catch Obama's State of the Union address, there are plenty of ways you can watch Wednesday night. Download the White House iPhone app or click over to YouTube for a live stream. It starts at 9 p.m., EST (for folks that like to kick it old school, the address will also be on television).