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On Feb. 2, President Bush set out a broad second-term agenda in a powerful State of the Union address. The president’s speech makes it clear that he will not follow the quieter route of second term presidents. Rather, he will move forward with a plan for reform and change — a plan that will preserve America for future generations.
On the domestic side, Bush called for reform in various programs, a fair vote on judicial nominees, restraint on the bench, and finally, he openly supported a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. On foreign affairs, Bush challenged states that wish America ill and encouraged those working towards democracy and freedom.
It was on issues concerning America’s role abroad that Bush was at his best, it was on Social Security reform that he challenged Congress the greatest and it will be with the success or failure of these two policy issues that the Bush Administration lives or dies.
Bush recommitted himself to protecting the homeland by taking the war on terror to our enemies. He reminded the world that the United States has no colonial aspirations, but rather desires to “build and preserve a community of free and independent nations.”
Achieving peace and making this commitment to local and cultural independence credible is dependent upon success in Iraq.
The president acknowledged the bravery of the Iraqi people who went to the polls in an expression of their desire for liberty. These elections were a significant step in the process of stabilizing Iraq and securing its peace and prosperity. They do not signal the beginning of the end, as many in the Democratic Party seem to suggest and desire.
Bush answered the demand for an “exit strategy” by saying “we will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq … We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors and able to defend itself” concluding that when, and only when, this is achieved will the United States withdraw.
Certainly there have been failures in planning and post-reconstruction strategy, but these require re-evaluation not withdrawal. America is in this for the long haul and it is in the best interests of our country and the security of the global community that the Iraqi situation be approached with hope and resolve. We will beat our enemies, and if there by any doubts, the sight of Iraqi voter and human rights activist Safia Taleb al-Suhail embracing the mother of fallen Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood to the thunderous applause of Congress should quell them.
In domestic affairs, the president faces a serious battle in his move to save Social Security. Social Security is a mess, and as Bush correctly noted, if nothing is done to reform the system, the system will be bankrupt by 2018. The debt owed in the form of Social Security payments to our seniors, and every subsequent generations of Americans, is a promise that Congress must get as serious as the president about fulfilling.
While Bush laid out a solid argument for Social Security reform, he is going to have to do much more to convince the American people that it is a pressing goal. To be successful, Bush must beat back the Democrat’s labeling of his proposal as privatization by communicating his commitment to seniors. As he noted, it is time for the American people to enjoy a system similar to that available to their elected leaders — a system that offers an opportunity for financial growth through personal accounts.
The challenge of our time is to secure the blessings we enjoy to subsequent generations. To achieve this goal, America must promote democracy abroad by winning the war on terror and supporting those who seek liberty. At home, we must ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to prosper and enjoy ownership in their future.
Submitted 2-10-2005
MALIBU, CA
