Jonathan's Response to the State of the Union Address

I was disappointed with the President's State of the Union (SOU) address tonight. It was ambiguous, fluffy, unsubstanitive, and vague. Comments such as, "To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of good will and respect for one another. And I will do my part." And, "We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life. We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity."

What exactly does that mean? Using that terminology begs the question, would the President say we will not confront the great issues? Or that we should not act confidently in pursuing enemies of freedom? Obviously it is enemies of freedom, not enemies of enslavement.

Here is an excellent goal:

Bush: Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal: We seek the end of tyranny in our world.

America seeks to end tyranny in the world? How exactly are we to go about this? Statements like this trivialize the SOU, and make it relatively meaningless. However, not all was lost. Bush had a few good things to say. I paid careful attention to the portion on democratic elections. (See my response to the recent Palistinean elections.) Bush said:

Bush: Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, and protection of minorities, and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote.

The great people of Egypt have voted in a multiparty presidential election, and now their government should open paths of peaceful opposition that will reduce the appeal of radicalism.

The Palestinian people have voted in elections. And now the leaders of Hamas must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace.

I believe he addressed the Palestinian elections well. His call to Hamas for the recognition of Israel is a strong and laudable statement.

Iran was also a delicate topic:

Bush: The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsors terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon, and that must come to an end.

(APPLAUSE)

The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats.

And, tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you and we respect your country. We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran.

My question is, how? Iran is under the hold of Islam. It can never be free and democratic until it embraces anti-Islamic ideals such as equality, rights or life, liberty, and property. Is Bush going to send missionaries to Iran now? However, for all that cynicism, I do say that his stance against Iran gaining nuclear weapons is encouraging.

Under the topic of AIDS, Bush made an interesting observation:

Bush: A hopeful society acts boldly to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, which can be prevented and treated and defeated.

More than a million Americans live with HIV, and half of all AIDS cases occur among African-Americans.

I ask Congress to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White Act and provide new funding to states so we end the waiting lists for AIDS medicines in America.

I question why Bush singled out African-Americans. Over half of all AIDS cases are through male-to-male sexual contact. Why didn't Bush make mention of homosexuals?

Bush also mentioned isolationism four times, and protectionism twice. He's obviously pushing for more global free trade, though it wasn't explicit. This globalist policy is absolutely abhorrent. The end result will be an "American Union," with a common security border around Mexico, the US, and Canada.

I agree with Bush about making the tax cuts permanent. He said:

Bush: Because America needs more than a temporary expansion, we need more than temporary tax relief. I urge the Congress to act responsibly and make the tax cuts permanent.

I've never met a tax cut I didn't like.

Bush also made some relatively strong statements about illegal immigration:

Bush: Keeping America competitive requires an immigration system that upholds our laws, reflects our values and serves the interests of our economy.

Our nation needs orderly and secure borders.

(APPLAUSE)

To meet this goal, we must have stronger immigration enforcement and border protection.

However, he also tried to push his guest worker program:

Bush: And we must have a rational, humane guest worker program that rejects amnesty, allows temporary jobs for people who seek them legally, and reduces smuggling and crime at the border.

My question is, how doe we have a guest worker program that rejects amnesty? That's like saying we want a rainbow with only one color.

Bush also praised the fact that, "There are fewer abortions in America than at any point in the last three decades." This is most definitely a good thing.

Along those same lines Bush asked for a ban on human cloning:

Bush: A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners and that recognize the matchless value of every life.

Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research: human cloning in all its forms; creating or implanting embryos for experiments; creating human-animal hybrids; and buying, selling or patenting human embryos.

Human life is a gift from our creator, and that gift should never be discarded, devalued or put up for sale.

And so ends the substance of Bush's speech. He proposed a few initiatives, but nothing too drastic or profound. With that said, God Bless America.