President George W. Bush set Feb. 5 as a deadline for the United Nations to decide on the disarmament of Iraq, citing 12 years of defiance from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in his State of the Union address last night.
A week from today, Bush said, Secretary of State Colin Powell will address the U.N. Security Council, outlining the case against Iraq and asking for its final consideration on disarmament. Bush made it clear that the United States would move with or without the support of the U.N. and other nations, however.
‘The course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others,’ he said.
Listing intelligence evidence that Hussein possesses biological weapons and materials with the potential for mass destruction, Bush emphasized the leader’s continual refusal to comply.
‘He has given no evidence that he has destroyed [the weapons],’ he said.
Bush said current U.N. inspections of the nation are futile, with Iraqi officials threatening scientists not to disclose weapons or information, and security personnel creating a ‘scavenger hunt’ for inspectors.
In a related measure, Bush announced a centralization of intelligence, acknowledging the ever-present threat of terrorism. The new Terrorist Threat Integration Center would be a single location combining intelligence from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, Homeland Security and Department of Defense.
Bush also introduced his tax relief bill, saying the cuts would save an average of $1,100 yearly for 92 million Americans, affecting all income tax payers. He advocated curbing public spending and abolishing the dividend tax and marriage penalty to create economic equality for Americans.
‘Federal spending should not rise any faster than the paychecks of American families,’ he said.
Bush said this year’s budget will include funding for several projects, including $1.2 billion for research in developing hydrogen-powered automobiles, an additional $400 billion to improve the Medicare program and $450 billion for new children’s mentoring programs. He also dedicated $600 million to drug treatment programs, and $15 billion over the next five years to confront the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Compassion the ‘highlight’ of the address, according to Tobe Berkovitz, Boston University professor of mass communications was a key focus of Bush’s domestic concerns. Bush encouraged mentoring and volunteering, particularly through religious organizations, and advocated against partial-birth abortion and human cloning.
Bush concluded by encouraging Americans to place their faith in God, reflective of his aforementioned faith-based initiatives.
‘I think the religious themes have been a big part of his presidency and so that’s not surprising,’ Berkovitz said.
Washington Governor Gary Locke, a BU alum in his second term, delivered the Democratic response to the President’s address. Though Locke said he supported Bush in his initiatives against Saddam Hussein and terrorism, he stressed the need to focus on domestic issues.
‘To be strong abroad, we need to be strong at home,’ he said. ‘And today, in too many ways, our country is headed in the wrong direction.’
Locke outlined the Democrats’ plans for taxes, homeland security, health care and the environment, saying the party would hold the Republicans accountable for domestic reforms.
Berkovitz said Bush could have performed better to increase public support.
‘Public opinion has been moving away from him,’ Berkovitz said, ‘both in terms of confidence in his ability to manage the economy and support for a war with Iraq.’
Bush did not approach any issues that would spark new controversy, Berkovitz said.
‘Overall I don’t think there was anything that radical that hasn’t been heard before,’ Berkovitz said.
BU professor of Anthropology and International Relations Augustus Richard Norton said Bush’s speech provided a ‘glimpse of imperial America.’ He said he is wary of Bush’s plans, however; though the US faces Iraq’s ‘unimpressive army,’ a battle would only intensify its problems, he said.
‘What is still to be discovered is whether America has the will, the patience and the wisdom to fulfill the ambitious vision that attracts this president,’ he said.
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