Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Bush's address mediocre
By Emily Groff
The Daily Campus (U. Connecticut)
02/02/2006

(U-WIRE) STORRS, Conn. — President George W. Bush updated a joint session of Congress on the state of the union for the fifth time Tuesday evening. At a time when Americans are questioning their status at home and abroad, the president's lackluster speech illustrated the limitations he faces as he serves his second term.

Last January, Bush proudly flaunted his re-election, claiming he had political capital to spend. Now, after the failure of his proposal to reform Social Security, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the embarrassment of the Jack Abramoff situation, it appears that capital is spent. Instead of offering large-scale policy initiatives, Bush stuck to traditional themes of speeches past — stay the course in Iraq, promote democracy abroad, increase competitiveness, cut insurance costs and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Bush first mentioned Sept. 11 only five minutes into the address and later claimed terrorists "aim is to seize power in Iraq and use it as a safe haven to launch attacks against America and the world." He accused opponents of the war in Iraq of being "isolationists," a description even some conservatives questioned. Most opponents of the War in Iraq just wish America would withdraw, not avoid all international engagements. While Bush did express confidence in "our plan for winning" and suggested possible troop reductions, he offered no clear exit strategy, even though public demand for one is increasing.

After Bush finished patting himself on the back for freeing Iraq, he moved on to describe other movements on the path to worldwide democracy. Staring directly into the camera, he addressed Iran, "a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people," saying, "our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran." He fell far short, however, of offering a means to that end, retreating from previous statements and avoiding all mention of North Korea, that other member of the axis of evil. He encouraged other Middle Eastern countries to hold free elections, but devoted only a single sentence to Hamas's recent democratic victory in Palestine.

While the president offered nothing new in foreign policy, he did recommend a few moderate changes on the domestic front. He announced a plan to make American students more competitive with India and China by recruiting 30,000 math and science professionals to become teachers and increasing the number of teachers offering advanced math and science classes by 70,000. Just after that, however, he touted his new budget, which will "reduce or eliminate more than 140 programs that are performing poorly or not fulfilling essential priorities," including financial aid for college students. Apparently, Bush supports achievement in high school but does not consider a college education an "essential priority."

In addition to increased emphasis on math and science, Bush claimed, "Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care." He plans to do this by strengthening Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), which allow Americans to invest pre-tax dollars in a savings account after they purchase high-deductible insurance. HSAs could actually increase medical costs because they encourage people to spend more money on health care to avoid paying taxes and they do little for the estimated 45 million uninsured Americans, many of whom do not have the means to purchase an insurance plan and save additional money for medical bills. The president did not mention these people.

The biggest segment of Bush's State of the Union was as hackneyed, erroneous and lackluster as the rest — the proposal to cut American dependence on foreign oil. The only good part of the proposal was he left drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge out of it. Instead, to cut 75 percent of America's oil imports from the Middle East, "We will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies and clean, safe nuclear energy and we must also change how we power our automobiles."

Of course, cutting oil dependency is nothing new. President Richard Nixon and President Jimmy Carter have previously urged it and Bush recommended it in each of his previous speeches, but we now import more oil than ever. It would be nice if we could actually reduce imports — not from just the Middle East, but from all foreign countries — but that would require sacrifices Bush did not mention. We must increase fuel economy standards, especially for SUVs, turn down the thermostat and adopt alternative energies. If oil consumption continues at current rates or increases, our economy and foreign policy options will continue to be limited and global warming will persist unchecked.

With real change, life for American citizens could improve. Unfortunately, even when faced with low approval ratings and loss of faith in the government, Bush is not ready to face issues important to voters and his State of the Union address was notable for its mediocrity. The Republican Party is racked by scandal, the economy is slow, health care is unaffordable, Iraq is a mess and the United States faces steep international competition. If the situation does not improve soon, the GOP could lose its majority in November and Bush's legacy could be forever tarnished.

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