IF POLLS are right, the American people who heard President Bush deliver his last State of the Union address last night are growing ever more weary of his presidency, more worried about the faltering economy, and more convinced that the war in Iraq was a mistake. Presidential candidates from his own party barely mention his name, so strong is the bipartisan consensus that the country needs change.
That is the state of the union seven years after Bush began his presidency. In an effort to keep a recession from casting one more shadow over his time in office, Bush pushed last night for quick approval of a plan by his administration and the House of Representatives for a $150 billion stimulus package. This may not be enough of a jolt to keep the economy growing, but Senate proposals to supplement the plan for tax rebates with extended unemployment benefits and increased Social Security checks would at least assist many households most affected by rising costs.
By no means, however, should Congress go along with Bush's request, repeated last night, that it make permanent all his first-term tax cuts. The tax cuts and the $500 billion cost, so far, of the Iraq war have led to high budget deficits and anemic spending for better purposes, such as medical research.
Bush did announce one laudable initiative last night that would reduce the deficit. He will issue an order today requiring federal agencies to ignore pork-barrel earmarks by Congress that are not explicitly enacted into law. This would end the practice of lawmakers putting their pet projects in committee documents that accompany legislation.
Bush was right when he reminded Congress of "a sensible and humane way to deal with people here illegally." And he could make good use of his last year in office if his 11th-hour push for an Israel-Palestinian settlement bears fruit, or if he can persuade Iraqis to use the reduced violence in their country to reach a political resolution of their conflicts. But his record in the Middle East has been marked by so many blunders that it seems more likely that both conflicts will be part of the messy, unfinished business handed over to Bush's successor. The state of the union is marked by deep impatience for new leadership.
