Last night President Bush gave his 6th State of the Union Address. He was a class act, in my opinion, in honoring Nancy Pelosi as "Madam Speaker", as well as the "Democratic Majority". He could have bypassed either or both comments, but chose to recognize the changes that have taken place in our government.
His speech writer's did a good job in the manner in which he presented the points he wanted to hit on. Buried well into the body of his close to an hour presentation was the Iraq war and what he planned on doing.
I hope he will be able to accomplish many of the things he set out as opportunities for the next two years. We do not need this President to become a "lame duck".
His approach was most likely cautious, but noteworthy....a quote from the opening of his speech so indicates...."We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people. "
He wants to concentrate on balancing the budget(without increasing taxes), fix Medicare and Medicaid and save Social Security, establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis, fuel reduction and alternate fuel development, and to continue to protect the people of this country from danger.
So, how did he do? I think he did well, considering what he had to work with, but to hear the news media, well, you'd have to say he failed, has no support, and will go down as one of the most unfavorable Presidents, being linked with Jimmy Carter and Dick Nixon.
Many of the areas he wants to concentrate on here, locally, are areas that I'm sure he hopes the Democrats will embrace. While they are important, they mean nothing if we are not safe. I'll not dwell on them now. The war in Iraq is the prime point. How the nation (congress and senate) react and choose to follow or attempt to derail what the President proposed will, in effect, determine our futures.
The President stated...."This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in. Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkempt, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. "
He has offered his plan on building up the troop level both in Iraq and for the nation to add 90K+ to the armed forces over the next few years. All he asks is for a chance.....will he get it?
The news media this morning said No! I listened to the Democratic reply last night. They stated that both the majority of the Nation and the Military are against the war. If the President did not go along with that vision, that they'd show him the way! One local TV channel interviewed college students. One said the President needed to follow the will of the people. Another said he only spoke to satisfy the Democrats and what they wanted to hear. Another said how the President should have been more forceful in his presentation, seeing the position he holds. Only one of the people interviewed sided with the President, a marine, who said he believed we needed to finish the job in Iraq. The President's approval rating is about 28%....was what I saw on TV this AM planned to show that approval rating?
So, what do you think about the President's speech? Did he do a good job? Is he being honest? Will he get support from the crongress and/or the senate? Give me your feedback here....let's hear from you!
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