As you know, Dubya gave his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Here are all mentions of India and Pakistan in State of the Unions dating back to 1947*.

It’s interesting to see how the themes shift and how U.S. presidents viewed the subcontinent. Clinton, for example, injected artificial balance by only mentioning India and Pakistan together. Dubya has made electoral hay out of Pakistan and terrorism, but this year marks the first time a U.S. president has mentioned India as an economic competitor in this annual address. Carter and Johnson viewed the subcontinent primarily through the lens of poverty. Kennedy linked China’s invasion of India with the Bay of Pigs via the red scare. Eisenhower seemed to think of Pakistan as part of the Middle East.

Perhaps most tellingly, the year after Indian and Pakistani independence from the same colonial power the U.S. jilted, Truman made no mention of that momentous fissure. Maybe it made an ally look bad.

Year President Excerpt Theme
2006 Bush Jr.
In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors, like China and India, and this creates uncertainty, which makes it easier to feed people’s fears. [Link]

Outsourcing

2005 Bush Jr.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have captured or detained al Qaeda terrorists. [Link]
 Terrorism

2004 Bush Jr.
Last March, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind of September the 11th, awoke to find himself in the custody of U.S. and Pakistani authorities. [Link]
 Terrorism
2002 Bush Jr.
America is working with Russia and China and India, in ways we have never before, to achieve peace and prosperity. [Link]
 Trade
2001 Bush Jr.
Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own: dozens of Pakistanis; more than 130 Israelis; more than 250 citizens of India; men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and Japan; and hundreds of British citizens. [Link]
 9/11
2000 Clinton
We should be proud of our role in… working to defuse these crises between India and Pakistan, in defending human rights and religious freedom. [Link]
 India-Pakistan
1999 Clinton
We must increase our efforts to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and missiles, from Korea to India and Pakistan. [Link]
 Nukes
1998 Clinton
In the months ahead, I will pursue our security strategy with old allies in Asia and Europe and new partners from Africa to India and Pakistan, from South America to China. [Link]
 Chem & bioweapons
1978 Carter
There were two moments on my recent journey which, for me, confirmed the final aims of our foreign policy and what it always must be. One was in a little village in India, where I met a people as passionately attached to their rights and liberties as we are, but whose children have a far smaller chance for good health or food or education or human fulfillment than a child born in this country. [Link]
 Poverty
1967 Johnson
In the great subcontinent of South Asia live more than a sixth of the earth’s population. Over the years we—and others—have invested very heavily in capital and food for the economic development of India and Pakistan.

We are not prepared to see our assistance wasted, however, in conflict. It must strengthen their capacity to help themselves. It must help these two nations—both our friends—to overcome poverty, to emerge as self-reliant leaders, and find terms for reconciliation and cooperation. [Link]

 Poverty, India-Pakistan
1963 Kennedy
Second, what of the developing and non-aligned nations? They were shocked by the Soviets’ sudden and secret attempt to transform Cuba into a nuclear striking base - and by Communist China’s arrogant invasion of India. They have been reassured by our prompt assistance to India… and by the improvement in our treatment of citizens and visitors whose skins do not happen to be white. And as the older colonialism recedes, and the neo-colonialism of the Communist powers stands out more starkly than ever, they realize more clearly that the issue in the world struggle is not communism versus capitalism, but coercion versus free choice. [Link]
 India-China War, communism
1956 Eisenhower
In the last year, the free world has seen major gains for the system of collective security: the accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Western European Union of the sovereign Federal German Republic; the developing cooperation under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty; and the formation in the Middle East of the Baghdad Pact among Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. [Link]
 Middle East
1954 Eisenhower
Recent agreements between Turkey and Pakistan have laid a foundation for increased strength in the Middle East. [Link]
 Middle East
1953 Eisenhower
… the Chinese Communists have invaded Korea to attack the United Nations forces there. They have consistently rejected the proposals of the United Nations Command for an armistice. They recently joined with Soviet Russia in rejecting the armistice proposal sponsored in the United Nations by the Government of India. This proposal had been accepted by the United States and 53 other nations. [Link]
 Korean War
1951 Truman
Our country has always stood for freedom for the peoples of Asia… We have demonstrated it in our relations with Indonesia, India, and with China. We hope to join in restoring the people of Japan to membership in the community of free nations. [Link]
 Korean War

* Excludes Nixon for lack of searchable transcripts