posted on February 1, 2006 06:38:26 AM new
State of the Union Agitated
Wednesday, February 1, 2006 7:08 AM EST
The Associated Press
By RON FOURNIER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The state of the union is fretful. President Bush acknowledged the public's agitated state Tuesday night when he gave voice to growing concerns about the course of the nation he has led for five years.
His credibility no longer the asset it once was, the president begged Americans' indulgence for another chance to fix things.
There is no shortage: the Iraq war, global terrorism, a nuclear Iran, a stingy global economy, skyrocketing health care costs, troubled U.S. schools, rising fuel costs, looming budget deficits and government corruption. All received presidential attention Tuesday night.
In his fifth State of the Union address, Bush sought to balance his usual optimistic message with an odd-fitting acknowledgment that many Americans are suffering beneath a crush of change.
"Fellow citizens, we have been called to leadership in a period of consequence. We have entered a great ideological conflict we did nothing to invite," Bush said. "We see great changes in science and commerce that will influence all our lives. And sometimes it can seem that history is turning a wide arc, toward an unknown shore."
Unknown and uneasy.
The problem for Bush is that few of these troubles are new. He's had four years to ease people's pain.
Nearly 46 million Americans have no health insurance, up nearly a million in the last year. Health care costs are increasing three or four times the rate of inflation.
One of Bush's first successes of his presidency was the 2002 No Child Left Behind, but parents still wonder about the quality of education in their schools. For the first time in generations, American children could face poorer prospects than their parents and grandparents did.
Calling for less dependency on foreign oil is a State of the Union evergreen. Bush has done so in every address.
The president who promised to be a uniter, not a divider, has presided over the hyper-polarization of Washington.
Osama bin Laden has not been caught.
Weapons of mass destruction were not found in Iraq.
Victory in that war seems elusive, with more than 2,240 American troops killed — and counting.
The solutions Bush offered were relatively small-bore and wrapped in familiar language: tax cuts, health savings accounts, alternative energy research and investments in education to help keep America competitive with emerging democracies; and a stay-the-course approach to fighting terrorism.
In a preview of his November election strategy, Bush accused foreign policy critics of "defeatism." He also took a jab at critics in his own party on immigration and trade.
Bush's goal in the address was to acknowledge the public's concerns, and if not solve their every problem, assure them he will try to do better.
"He's learned that the election is over — and now he's free to acknowledge that course change doesn't necessarily mean a mistake," said Republican consultant Rich Galen.
Bush spoke of the global economy and suggested that competitors like China and India are making gains on the United States. "This creates an uncertainty, which makes it easier to feed people's fears."
He said violent crime, abortions and teenage pregnancies are down in an era that has seen Americans take more responsibility — "a revolution of conscience" he called it. "Yet many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture, and the health of our basic institutions," he said.
The mood of the nation is unsettled. Nearly 7 of 10 American believes the country is headed in the wrong direction. Bush's job approval ratings are among the lowest of his presidency.
At the core of his political problems is his loss of credibility. Most voters believed he was a strong and principled leader in 2004, leading many to support him despite their opposition to the Iraq war and a sluggish economy.
They are no longer giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The proportion of Americans who credit the president with being honest and straightforward has fallen, as has the percentage who credit him for strong leadership qualities.
Democrats hope those numbers don't change after Bush's address. "It's an attempt to make himself healthy before the mid-terms," said Democratic strategies Dane Strother. Americans may be anxious, he said, "but they're not dumb."
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Ron Fournier has covered the White House and politics for The Associated Press since 1992.
posted on February 1, 2006 02:03:32 PM new
I've heard bad comments about the speech from both sides. I did listen to the governor of Alabama last night and I like him. He's a very middle of the road Democrat. Ohio can use the likes of him. But, with the way things are going around here, we'll be stuck with very over the edge Blackwell.
Cheryl
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on February 1, 2006 05:06:01 PM new
Bush is nothing but a miserable failure. That is unless you are a racist, in the top 1% income bracket, or are plain stupid. There was not one thing that Bush proposed, discussed, or offered America that could be taken as promising and most of America knows it. Sure, people (if I could even call them that) like LindaKKK, Bear, and Colin will lap it up, but what exactly does that mean???? It shows that average Joe's like them can be duped over and over repeatedly. Pavlov's theory proven again and again.
It's not who Colin chooses to love, but rather that he found someone willing to accept him for who he is...
posted on February 1, 2006 06:36:16 PM new
I didn't even bother to listen DUMBO'S speech. I have heard enough LIES from him and members of his conservative government.
Dumbo and his conservative crooks don't know what to worry about first getting re-elected or staying out of Jail.
Hey DUMBO lots of Americans want to talk about Communist China. That's right DUMBO I said COMMUNIST CHINA. The COMMUNIST you honor so much.
posted on February 1, 2006 10:16:58 PM new
From the Economic Policy Institute:
China’s trade surplus with the United States was $162 billion in 2004, a 30.6% increase since 2003 and the United States' largest bilateral deficit. China has refused to increase the value of its currency, which has expanded the bilateral trade gap. China’s intransigence has encouraged other Asian nations to slow or even prevent increases in their currencies. The U.S. trade deficit with China is now the largest the United States has with any country in the world. China alone was responsible for more than half of the increase in the non-oil trade deficit in 2004. U.S. imports from China are more than five times the value of U.S. exports to China, making this the United States’ most imbalanced trading relationship. The U.S. imports from China were $196.7 billion in 2004 (an increase of 29%), making China the second largest exporter of goods to the United States, behind only Canada’s $256 billion export total. At current rates of growth, China will surpass Canada and become the largest supplier of U.S. imports in 2006.
