Since the moment that the White House announced President Obama is considering holding the State of the Union speech on Feb. 2, the potential date has drawn a backlash so severe it compelled immediate and public action from the White House. What was all the uproar about? Feb. 2 is also the long-scheduled date for the season premiere of the last-ever season of ABC's hit show, "Lost." On Friday, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs promised a reporter (from ABC, no less!) that "Lost" and the State Of The Union would not be competing. So who won?

• Decline Of Civilization  Michael Roston asks, "Could there be a greater sign of our civilization’s decline?" He writes, "[M]any of us are so focused on our narcissistic entertainments that we can’t take a step back and be reminded that before we are couch potatoes, we are citizens. We’ve let ourselves get so atomized by Internet and TV that we ignore what brings us all together – our nation – and allow ourselves to be diverted entirely into what we do for a diversion."

• Ending 'Lost' A National Priority  Wonkette's Jim Newell throws his hands up. "YOU KNOW WHAT, GOOD. 'Civic duty' can fuck off in this instance, okay? Some of us have been watching a tedious show that we literally hate every scheduled week since 2004 and are anxious to get through these final 16 episodes to the conclusion, where Jack will wake up and realize it was all a dream."

• ABC Declares Victory  ABC News's Jake Tapper and Karen Travers do a little schilling. "Diehard fans of the show have been in a tizzy," they write. "The millions of viewers eagerly waiting to see what happened to Juliet, Jack, and the Swan station at the end of last season’s cliff-hanger no longer have to worry that the answers to their questions will be delayed because of President Obama’s first State of the Union address."

• Worth It?  The Atlantic's Chris Good is highly skeptical, reporting that "[A]ny who were worried about it and don't have DVR, that the State of the Union won't coincide with the final-season premiere of 'Lost,' which will allegedly begin the laborious process of answering a series of intricate questions about the space/time continuum that have been raised over the past five years."

• Reveals Obama's Dumb Base  Somewhat predictably, the National Review finds a way to use this against Obama. "Courting the all-important 'people who like confused, lazy writing' constituency, Mr. President?" asks Daniel Foster.

• Nerds!  Gawker's Brian Moylan finds them. "Because the White House and the White House press corps is full of nerds, the Lost issue came up twice in today's press briefing."

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