Posted on 02/01/2006 12:47:17 PM PST by presidio9
President Bush concentrated on broad themes Tuesday night in his fifth State of the Union address, offering few new initiatives and instead reiterating many of his administration's recurring themes on domestic and security issues. In the 51-minute
speech before an audience that included newly seated Supreme Court associate justice Samuel Alito, Bush argued against isolationism, stated his oft-repeated determination to stay the course in Iraq, defended his ordering of secret wiretaps and raised the specter of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in arguing for the spread of democracy across the Middle East.
"Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer, and so we will act boldly in freedom's cause," Bush said.
The speech touched on education and the need to better equip America's children to compete in a global economy as well as the importance of breaking the country's "addiction" to foreign oil while seeking new sources of fuel. But more than half of the evening's comments were focused on foreign policy and the war on terror, with no new initiatives to help the victims of hurricanes in the Gulf Coast and only passing mentions of the looming crisis in the Social Security system.
Recognizing the divisiveness that has split the Congress, and the country, over issues such as Alito's nomination and the wiretapping scandal (see "Alito Confirmed For Supreme Court"), Bush opened with a call for Americans to unite in advancing the country's interests at home and abroad in the year ahead.
"We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom, or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life," he said. "We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy, or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity. In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting, yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people ... the only way to secure the peace ... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership. So the United States of America will continue to lead."
Saying that here is "no peace ... no honor in retreat," Bush vowed to continue fighting against radical Islam — calling out Osama bin Laden by name two times — and using the liberation of Nazi death camps in World War II as an example of why the U.S. should avoid isolationism. As in the past, the president declined to set a timetable for the withdrawal of troops in Iraq (see "Bush Lays Out 'Plan For Victory' In Iraq, Again Rejects Timetable For Withdrawal"). Despite the rising death toll of U.S. forces and polls showing that the majority of Americans believe the war in Iraq was a mistake, said he is "confident in our plan for victory" declaring, "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win and we are winning."
And while praising the recent democratic elections in Egypt and by the Palestinian people (see "Anti-Israeli Group Hamas Wins Palestinian Elections"), Bush urged each to reject radicalism and asked the world to be steadfast in denying Iran's nuclear ambitions.
With the political capital he boasted of in the previous State of the Union address greatly diminished, Bush offered broad thoughts instead of bold, specific plans elsewhere in the speech. Pundits described it as a recognition that the enormous costs of the war in Iraq and Gulf Coast rebuilding have limited the funds available for new initiatives. He spoke of fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria, child prostitution and drug trafficking in the developing world, positing their defeat as a win for American security.
He also defended his controversial ordering of secret wiretaps by the National Security Administration, saying that if they'd been in place earlier, the September 11 attacks might have been avoided. "It is said that prior to the attacks of September 11th, our government failed to connect the dots of the conspiracy," Bush said. "We now know that two of the hijackers in the United States placed telephone calls to al Qaeda operatives overseas. But we did not know about their plans until it was too late. So to prevent another attack, based on authority given to me by the Constitution and by statute, I have authorized a terrorist surveillance program to aggressively pursue the international communications of suspected al Qaeda operatives and affiliates to and from America."
According to an NPR report, the CIA did know that two of the hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar, attended an al Qaeda meeting in Malaysia in 2000, and then traveled to the U.S. But they were not put on terrorist watch lists until they were already in the U.S., and the FBI was not told to look for them until August of 2001. NPR reported that critics of the administration's surveillance programs say that shows that basic incompetence prevented detection of the plot, not inadequate surveillance powers.
In announcing one of the few new plans in the speech, Bush said, "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," and called for his Advanced Energy Initiative. The former Texas oilman said the plan will see a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy in an attempt to boost zero-emission coal-fired plants to fuel our homes and offices and more research into hydrogen-fueled and hybrid cars. Bush set a goal of replacing 75 percent of U.S. oil imports from the Middle East by 2025 with new forms of corn-based ethanol fuel and other renewable sources. Critics noted, however, that the plan was less ambitious than it seems, as the U.S. gets less than 20 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf, with the majority coming from Mexico, Canada and Venezuela.
In one of his few comments on education, Bush said the way to deal with the threat of more competition for countries like China and India was to substantially increase financing for basic science research and train 70,000 new high school Advanced Placement teachers while recruiting 30,000 math and science professionals to work in classrooms.
Citing statistics showing drops in the rates of violent crime, drug use by teens and teenage pregnancy, Bush called the numbers signs of a "revolution of conscience." He added, however, that others are concerned about the direction the country is going and "discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage." He also urged the Congress to pass legislation banning all forms of human cloning, saying that "human life is a gift from our creator — and that gift should never be discarded, devalued or put up for sale."
While the speech was notable for the typical raucous applause from the ruling party — with several reaction shots showing Democrats, most notably an incredulous-looking Hillary Clinton, sitting on their hands during much of the address — Bush ended by again appealing to both sides to unite. "Before history is written down in books, it is written in courage," he said. "Like Americans before us, we will show that courage and we will finish well. We will lead freedom's advance. We will compete and excel in the global economy. We will renew the defining moral commitments of this land. And so we move forward — optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause and confident of victories to come."
"Might as well face it, you're addicted to... oil."
MTVNews? I didn't get much further.
"While the speech was notable for the typical raucous applause from the ruling party" - Surprised it wasn't the ruling junta!
We've got to start drilling our own oil: ANWR, offshore, and all the capped wells in this country.
Let's adopt the Al Gore plan, which eliminates our dependency on oil by eliminating the internal combustion engine. Cold Turkey.
I thought the same thing. I want a video of Bush singing the classic Robert Palmer song, with multiple Dick Cheney's in the background strumming guitars.
Yes, I'm an American.....and I'm addicted to...oil, and........air, and.........water, and............
Is this some kind of comedy act?
I think everyone knew about our oil dependence a long time ago. This is a speech his Dad should have made.
Why offer new plans when the old ones which are still the best keep getting blocked by the Dems?
So we drill here and convert our Oil shale and tar sand!
"Is this some kind of comedy act?"
If not, it should be. Judging by the audience MTV draws, they wouldn't recognize "news" if it walked up and sat on their faces.
Typical liberal slant... Empty-V isn't the bastion of journalistic integrity we all thought. Go figure.
That was EXACTLY my thought at the headline!!!! You beat me to the punch!!!
NUCULAR NOW!
Yes, but the do indeed "Rock The Vote."
I wish somebody in the administration would do an "Addicted To Oil" video before the Dems jump all over it....
"Rock The Vote."
You mean "Rock The Boat".
MTV News - SeeBS/Viacom for DUmmies.
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