Bush Thumbs Nose at Congress

Bush on Iraq

Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Thom Shanker write in the New York Times: "Four months after announcing troop reductions in Iraq, President Bush is now sending signals that the cuts may not continue past this summer, a development likely to infuriate Democrats and renew concerns among military planners about strains on the force.

"Mr. Bush has made no decisions on troop reductions to follow those he announced last September. But White House officials said Mr. Bush had been taking the opportunity, as he did in Monday's State of the Union address, to prepare Americans for the possibility that, when he leaves office a year from now, the military presence in Iraq will be just as large as it was a year ago, or even slightly larger. . . .

"What a continuing commitment of 15 brigades -- more than 130,000 troops -- would mean for the Army as a whole is said to be a major concern of [George W. Casey Jr., the Army chief of staff] among others on the joint staff. But officials said Mr. Bush's primary concern was not letting military gains in Iraq slip away, a warning he issued in his State of the Union address."

SOTU Fact Checking, Continued

Alissa J. Rubin and Richard A. Oppel Jr. write in the New York Times that in his State of the Union address, Bush "painted a more optimistic portrait of the current political situation than is visible to most Iraqis, glossing over the near-paralysis on reaching any far-reaching power-sharing agreement and overstating the gains in security in Iraq.

"His most optimistic claim was that 'reconciliation is taking place.'. . .

"Reconciliation efforts between Sunnis and Shiites -- or in the north between the Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen ethnic groups -- appear to have made little real progress.

"Although there is less killing, especially in Baghdad, because of the larger American presence since the 'surge,' there is still no real agreement on power-sharing or a national vision for the country.

"While Mr. Bush expressed confidence that Al Qaeda would be defeated in Iraq -- not differentiating between Osama bin Laden's terrorist network and Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the homegrown insurgent group that American officials say is foreign-led -- senior American military officials have been going to great lengths to emphasize that, despite recent American successes, the Sunni Arab insurgency remains resilient in many places."

Brooks Jackson writes for Factcheck.org that Bush "correctly noted that the number of jobs has grown steadily for a record 52 straight months. But the number of jobs gained is a fraction of the gains made during Bill Clinton's years, and wage gains have been eaten up by inflation. . . .

"He said 'we' foiled a terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners over the Atlantic, but the plot was actually uncovered by the British, as Bush himself said in last year's State of the Union address."

Daniel Gross writes in his Newsweek column: "Rather than reveal any sense of realism about the implications of this decade's tax-and-spend policies, Bush reverted to the fundamental dishonesty that has characterized his discussion of the tax cuts right from the beginning."

Opinion Watch

The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board writes: "President Bush's last State of the Union address offered no grand initiatives, which is fortunate because many of his bold plans of yesteryear await a new president to clean up.