President Bush took the nation to the edge of war with Iraq tonight, declaring in his annual State of the Union message that Saddam Hussein had missed his "final chance" by showing contempt for U.N. weapons inspections.
The president, addressing a joint session of Congress and a nationwide television audience of tens of millions, stopped short of committing to war. But he provided a long list of examples of the Iraqi president's efforts to thwart the inspections and left no doubt that he is ready to part ways with allies who favor extended inspections in Iraq, serving notice that "America's purpose is more than to follow a process.
"The course of this nation does not depend on the decisions of others," the president said. "Whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary, I will defend the freedom and security of the American people."
Bush delivered the hour-long address at a time when his leadership, both domestic and foreign, is less popular than at any point since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Facing growing opposition to his Iraq policy, record doubts about his economic stewardship and lukewarm support for his domestic policies, Bush used last night's speech-as he has other high-visibility addresses in his presidency-to refocus the nation's attention and priorities.
Specifically, he proposed spending $400 billion over 10 years to give seniors a prescription drug benefit if they join a Medicare HMO; $10 billion in new funding over five years to combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean; and $6 billion to develop vaccines and treatments for bioterror agents. Bush also said the nation is employing an "early warning network" of bioterrorism sensors. Among various smaller initiatives, he proposed $600 million to expand drug treatment programs, $450 million for mentoring programs and $1.2 billion to develop hydrogen-powered automobiles.
"This country has many challenges," Bush recognized tonight, vowing: "We will not deny, we will not ignore, we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, other presidents and other generations. We will confront them with focus, and clarity, and courage."
Bush devoted nearly half of his address to domestic issues, but he dedicated only glancing reference to some of his biggest proposals. His Medicare proposal got just 130 of the speech's 5,400 words, and his dividend tax cut, the centerpiece of his economic proposal, was dealt with in a few sentences. Bush also called for limits on malpractice awards, enactment of his long-stalled energy plan (though he did not specifically mention drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) and more of his "compassion" agenda, including what aides say will be a voucher program to fund social-service organizations that proselytize.
Bush also announced he will form a Terrorist Threat Integration Center to combine domestic and foreign intelligence from throughout the government. The center, to be run by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, does not require congressional approval, Bush aides said.
In both foreign and domestic affairs, Bush proposed little in the way of sweeping new policies. Rather than offer new remedies for the nation's ills, he stuck mostly to his existing proposals and policies. The speech, in that sense, was somewhat cautious, mustering updated arguments to build support for existing proposals, many of which face difficult prospects in Congress.
White House officials saw the speech, his fourth to a joint meeting of Congress, as a crucial chance for Bush to reconnect with an increasingly skeptical public as he heads into his formal reelection campaign, and to regain his footing internationally as he begins making the closing arguments to allies about joining a coalition to unseat Hussein.
Bush's wartime luster has steadily tarnished month by month, to the point that his aides said over the weekend that they could see their political mortality for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001. The budget deficit is ballooning and unemployment has risen, while consumer confidence, stock prices and business investments have fallen.
Democrats, in their official response delivered by Washington Gov. Gary Locke, took issue with Bush on the full range of foreign and domestic policies but emphasized Bush's economic plans. "This administration's policies will produce deficits of over a trillion dollars over the next decade," Locke said. "These policies have powerful and painful consequences. It does too little to stimulate the economy now and does too much to weaken our economic future"
The White House made extraordinary efforts to use the speech as a turning point. Bush met with newspaper columnists in the morning, then ate lunch with 11 network anchors. Senior adviser Karl Rove, usually media shy, called in to conservative radio shows. He and communications director Dan Bartlett provided an afternoon briefing about the speech's themes to more than 30 Republican lobbyists and activists in a conference room next to the White House.
Bush faced an unusual problem tonight: high expectations. Americans had consistently underestimated him as a candidate and as a new president, setting low standards for his addresses that he greatly exceeded. Now accustomed to his prowess as a war leader, Americans set sights higher.
At odds with Bush, 7 in 10 Americans would give U.N. weapons inspectors months more to pursue their arms search in Iraq, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. In addition, the poll found that a majority of Americans disapproved of Bush's handling of the economy for the first time in his presidency. The number of Americans who regard the economy as healthy has not been lower in the past nine years, and fewer than half supported the tax cut plan Bush has proposed as a remedy.
Matthew Dowd, Bush's polling coordinator, issued a memo before Bush's speech to play down expectations. "State of the Union addresses at this point in Presidents' terms don't usually move numbers on job approval," he argued, using historical examples.
While eschewing big new proposals, Bush made several gestures tonight certain to thrill his conservative supporters and antagonize Democrats, including proposals to end the procedure opponents call "partial-birth" abortion and all human cloning. Bush did not specifically mention his voucher plan, which would allow religious groups, even those that seek to convert participants, to get government money. But Bush had as his guest an official from Teen Challenge, a drug treatment group calling itself "an inherently Christian program."
At present, almost all of its funding-$67 million in 2001-comes from private donations, he said. The program does not require participants to become Christian, but the group's president, the Rev. John D. Castellani, testified to a House subcommittee in May 2001 that some of its clients become "completed Jews," meaning that they convert to Christianity. Castellani later apologized for that phrase, saying he thought it was "a compliment."
To build support for his Medicare proposal, Bush singled out at the speech an elderly couple who are activists in the Coalition for Medicare Choices, a group affiliated with the HMO lobby, the American Association of Health Plans. And to gain support for his plan to reduce medical malpractice awards, he introduced a Florida obstetrician who said she had to closer her practice in 2002 because her malpractice insurance company left the state; press reports from 2001 also indicate that she was de-listed from a Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO.
Bush traveled to the heavily guarded Capitol at a time when more troops are abroad than any time since the Persian Gulf War of 1991. The buildup is continuing for a possible invasion of Iraq, which now considered all but inevitable by many senior White House officials.
Bush's aides had said in advance that he would not use the address to declare war, adding that he would speak to the nation again when he sets a final deadline for Hussein, and again if he decides to launch an attack. He also declined, as expected, to produce fresh evidence of Hussein's guilt.
Democrats and leaders of several traditional allies of the United States have demanded more compelling evidence that Iraq is the greatest threat facing the world. Administration officials said Bush intends to supply it, perhaps beginning next week. The new material will include documentation that Iraq has moved weapons and equipment hours and days before inspections, officials said.
Instead, Bush spoke broadly about Iraq. "Almost three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave Saddam Hussein his final chance to disarm," he said. "He has shown instead his utter contempt for the United Nations, and for the opinion of the world."
Bush offered a variety of examples of Hussein's deceit as the Iraqi dictator conceals germ, chemical and nuclear programs. The president, echoing information divulged by his lieutenants in recent weeks, did not president new allegations and evidence but was slightly more specific. For example, he said the United States now has information about Iraq's mobile bio-weapons labs "from three Iraqi defectors." Bush also stated that "evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
Bush also asserted new depths of Iraqi obstruction of the two-month-old U.N. inspection program. "From intelligence sources we know . . . that thousands of Iraqi security personnel are at work hiding documents and materials from the U.N. inspectors-sanitizing inspection sights and monitoring the inspectors themselves," he said. Bush added that Iraqi scientists have been threatened with death if they cooperate with inspectors.
"The dictator of Iraq is not disarming; to the contrary, he is deceiving," the president said. Speaking to Iraqis, Bush made clear his intentions: "Your enemy is not surrounding your country-your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation." Addressing American troops in the Middle East, Bush said, ominously: "Some crucial hours may lie ahead. In those hours, the success of our cause will depend on you."
Bush did not mention the "axis of evil," a grouping of Iraq, Iran and North Korea made famous in last year's State of the Union message. Nor did he invoke the name of al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden, whom Bush wanted "dead or alive" but who is still at large. Bush touched briefly on Iran and North Korea and spoke generally about terrorism, suggesting Americans would not be deterred by tyrants or reluctant allies.
"This threat is new; America's duty is familiar," Bush said, comparing terrorism to "Hitlerism, militarism, and communism." "Once again, we are called to defend the safety of our people, and the hopes of all mankind, and we accept this responsibility," he said.
On the economy, Bush largely reiterated arguments for his $670 billion tax cut, based mostly on eliminating the tax on dividends. Democrats and some economists have attacked the plan for favoring the rich, expanding the deficit, and doing little to boost the economy in the short-term. A number of Republican senators have raised objections to the plan, threatening its survival.
Bush defended the plan as a job-growth package. "Jobs are created when the economy grows," he said. "The economy grows when Americans have more money to spend and invest. And the best, fairest way to make sure Americans have the money is not to tax it away in the first place."
On health care, Bush said Medicare recipients could keep their coverage as it is, but "seniors should have the choice of a health care plan that provides prescription drugs." The Senate intends to begin action within six months on Bush's Medicare proposals, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said today. Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) , whose party has proposed a much broader prescription plan, said Democrats will oppose the plan if it makes the drug benefit available only to patients who join HMOs.
-Staff writer Alan Cooperman contributed to this report.
State of the Union
