Bush asks support on Iraq, economy
No sweeping initiatives in final State of Union
WASHINGTON - President Bush used the final State of the Union address of his presidency last night to urge Americans to support his decision to stay the course in the Iraq war, called on Congress to approve his plan to stabilize an economy undergoing "a period of uncertainty," and declared that he will curb lawmakers' excessive use of federal spending bills to advance pet projects.
Bush also declared that his decision to add more than 30,000 troops to the Iraq war has been a success and has dramatically reduced sectarian violence there, allowing him to shift more troops to Afghanistan.
While he offered modest proposals - a $300 million program to help poor children attend private schools, more money to fight the AIDS virus - and called on scientific entrepreneurs to create technology that can combat climate change, the president's speech offered no broad new ideas, memorable language, or sweeping themes. He also avoided two of the thorniest domestic issues that he has raised before without success: dealing with 12 million immigrants who have entered the country illegally and fixing financially shaky government entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Instead, he challenged members of the Democratic-majority Congress to reach bipartisan solutions to stem illegal immigration and ensure Social Security remains solvent.
"Our greatness lies not in our government, but in the spirit and determination of our people," the president said. "By trusting the people, succeeding generations transformed our fragile young democracy into the most powerful nation on earth and a beacon of hope for millions. And so long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure, and the State of our Union will remain strong."
The centerpiece of his 40-minute address was the cause that has dominated his eight years in office: the war in Iraq and the global fight against Islamic terrorism. Sending 30,000 additional US troops to Iraq, the president said, has quelled the violence and allowed some Iraqi refugees to return home; the Pentagon, meanwhile has withdrawn some combat units.
By this summer, Bush said, as many as 20,000 troops could come home; others will return, he added, only on "the conditions in Iraq and the recommendation of our commanders." Many Democrats and some Republicans have called for a much faster drawdown or a complete withdrawal of most forces.
"While the enemy is still dangerous and more work remains, the American and Iraqi surges have achieved results few of us could have imagined just one year ago," Bush said. Though critics still question his strategy, he said, the Iraqi government is making progress, and "among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated."
Democrats were unimpressed.
"We've given the Iraqis nearly five years of American blood and treasure," Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said in a statement. "It's time for the Iraqis to work out their differences, stand on their own, and for American troops to come home."
Though Bush called for unity and bipartisanship in addressing major issues, the response of lawmakers to his major themes was decidedly partisan. For example, when Bush urged healthcare reform - a signature issue for Democrats - senators and congress members on that side of the aisle stood and cheered; when the president said that reform should take place through market competition and not government mandates, Republican legislators gave him a standing ovation while Democrats sat silently.
The House chamber held much less of the excitement and tension that marked previous State of the Union addresses.
Instead, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers seemed already to have moved on from Bush's presidency, gossiping among themselves about the presidential race.
Democrats surreptitiously eyed Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who had walked together from the Senate chamber, as they sat side by side in the front of the House chamber. New York Senator Hillary Clinton sat five seats and one aisle away.
Kennedy had officially endorsed Obama yesterday just hours before the president's speech, and the chamber was abuzz over it. "Everybody's talking about it," said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California.
On one Bush applause line - when the president vowed that Al Qaeda "will be defeated" - Obama sat impassively while Clinton leapt to her feet in acclaim.
Last night's speech was also in contrast to the one Bush delivered at the start of his second term, after declaring that he would spend the "political capital" he had accumulated in his 2004 reelection. As a lame-duck president dragged down by an unpopular war, low approval ratings, and economic distress, Bush has seen his ability to move his agenda limited further by the fact that much of the naton is focused on presidential nominations - and the candidates' new agendas.
An ABC News poll completed this month found that Bush's approval rating is 32 percent, the lowest of his presidency, and that 77 percent of those surveyed believe the country is on the wrong track - including 64 percent who say the war in Iraq has not been worth the expense and lives lost.
Continuing on foreign policy, Bush also addressed Iran, which he has accused of supplying arms to Iraqi insurgents and developing nuclear weapons. The president urged Iranian leaders to "come clean about your nuclear intentions and past actions, stop your oppression at home, and cease your support for terror abroad." He also said there is "new cause for hope" for peace between Israel and the Palestineans.
Turning to domestic issues, Bush, who has been criticized by some within his own party for runaway government spending, offered the boldest statement of the night, vowing to veto any appropriations bill that contains too many earmarks, a legislative maneuver lawmakers use to insert pork-barrel projects into federal spending bills. The president said he would ban federal agencies from approving earmarks that appear in a congressional report but are not voted upon by Congress. However, the White House said that would not apply to already-passed legislation.
Bush's call for a package of tax cuts to stimulate the sagging economy already has spurred leaders of both parties to craft a proposal to send rebates to taxpayers. But Democrats have coolly received his plan to make permanent tax cuts set to expire in 2010.
While many Democrats want to keep those tax cuts for middle- and lower-income people, Bush and his fellow Republicans insist that the tax cuts extend to the wealthiest taxpayers.
Bush's focus on the fragile state of the economy was striking compared with last year's address, when he boasted that "unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way."
Last night, he acknowledged that "our economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty," due in large part to the bust in the national housing market. But Bush said that "in the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth."
Bush also pressured Congress to quickly pass legislation that would make permanent a temporary bill hastily passed in 2007 that legalized a form of the warrantless wiretapping program Bush authorized after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The law, known as the Protect America Act, is set to expire on Feb. 1. 