WASHINGTON - WHEN US President George W. Bush pronounces the annual State of the Union address, some Americans will be hanging on his every word.

Not because they are die-hard political pundits or waiting for the truth to emerge from the mouth of the leader of the free world, but because they are playing the six-year-old State of the Union drinking game.

When - not if - President Bush says 'The state of our union is strong...' or a derivative thereof, eager Americans will down a shot of an alcoholic beverage or take a couple of swigs of beer.

Uttering 'God' or any euphemism for God earns the people propping up the bar two drinks.

'Troops' only merits a small sip.

But if he says 'water-boarding,' you have to lean your head back, have a drink poured into it, and gargle.

Mentioning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad merits a shot, quickly followed by another if President Bush pronounces it correctly, according to the rules concocted six years ago by two students at Princeton University.

'I'm sure there are other people who have made similar games, but I think most people play by our rules,' Marc Melzer, one of the creators of the State of the Union Drinking Game and now a lawyer, said.

His co-creator, Howard Deutsch, said the two invented the game in 2002 when they were seniors at Princeton.

'Then, we were both a lot more interested in politics, and I think we would have watched the State of the Union speech without drinking. It was just a supplemental thing to do during the speech,' said Mr Deutsch, who is now a sales and marketing manager.

To the British, the equivalent of the Sotu - the popular American abbreviation for the State of the Union speech by Potus, the President of the United States - drinking game might be to down a large gin and tonic every time the queen says 'my husband and I' in her annual speech.

To continental Europeans, it is comparable to enhancing the Eurovision song contest with a jar each time a band intones the words 'love' or 'light' or something nonsensical like A Ba Ni Bi or the name of a train station in London.

If President Bush mentions the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, order a Car Bomb - a melange of Guinness stout, Baileys Irish Cream and Jameson Irish whiskey - from the bartender.

If he confuses Hamas and hummus, order two.

The game also requires visual acuity, muscle control and political knowledge: if the camera focuses on the speaker of the House or Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, first you have to focus and recognise her and then down one drink without moving any facial muscles.

You also have to be constantly up-to-speed on your recent history and on what you were doing (read: drinking) during the speech.

So when the president mentions anything to do with his plan to bring peace to the Middle East, you have the same drink you had the first time he said Taba or Camp David or roadmap or Wye River or Oslo accords.

Since Saturday, Mr Mezler and Mr Deutsch's drinkinggame.us website has had more than 30,000 hits - 5,000 alone in the hour since AFP first logged on to the site to read up on the rules.

'The first year we did it, it was an off-the-cuff kind of thing. I put it on a webpage as a goof,' said Mr Mezler, who will be hosting an event at a bar in New York for President Bush's last Sotu speech.

'But it spread very quickly and we got emails from all around the country from people who played it, suggesting other rules we should have,' he said.

'Part of the reason we continue to do it is that every November, we get emails from people making sure we are going to do it again. They want us to make new rules so they can play along.'

Mr Mezler and Mr Deutsch put their heads together starting in December to pinpoint the words and corresponding number of shots that will figure in the next Sotu drinking game.

'I think it's fair to say the rules will change a bit next year,' said Mr Deutsch.

Regardless of who replaces president Bush in the White House, 'It's almost certain that 'nukular' will have its last hurrah today,' he said.

During tonight's Sotu by Potus, nukular, the 'Bushism' for nuclear, will earn you the right to one drink.

There is no punishment for slipping up; the hangover the next day will certainly be punishment enough. -- AFP