In his fifth address to a joint session of Congress, President George W. Bush defended his record and as usual, he's stuck in his ways.
Bush pledged to stand alongside Iraq as it progresses toward democracy, and sought to make clear that America wil continue to lead, saying, "America rejects the false comfort of isolationsim."
The President also addressed the domestic spying controversy, unapologetically admitting its existence but offering llittle in the way of details. He claimed to have statuatory and constitutional authority, but we would like to know when he was given such broad authority. We would like to know what al Qaeda is up to, but some ground rules need to be layed out of concern for civil liberties.
Bush called for more bipartisanship, but the speech was clear evidence of the divide that persists on Capitol Hill. Half the chamber would stand and applaud, while the other half would sit and roll its eyes. Time will tell if the White House reaches across the aisle for real.
The continuing situation with Iran also got some mention, and it is good to hear the President appeal for the friendship of the Iranian people. It is not in anyone's best interest for Iran to go nuclear (sound it out), and Iran seems to be saying that Security Council meddling will not be welcomed. We hope the White House exhausts all our diplomatic options, but recent history tends to disagree with our hopes.
We are glad Bush showed the compassionate side of his conservatism in talking about AIDS- or at least acknowlodging it exists- and Gulf Coast recovery among other things.
Many challenges still face the nation. Iraq remains unsettled and we have yet to know when troops will be coming home. The President did nor offer anything new other than to tell Congress he would like to work with them, but that second-guessing is not his idea of strategy.
For those who watched the speech, remember what was said, and hold your representatives accountable for the ethics reform being promised in the wake of Jack Abramoff.
The speech was not grand and shows Bush intends to be as gung-ho as ever, and his celebration of newly-confirmed Justice Samuel Alito shows he takes his pledge to remake the courts seriously.
