In State of the Union address, Bush defends policy on Iraq
U.S. President says events in Iraq could be turned to victory, warns of escalating threat from Shi'ite extremists.
By Reuters and Haaretz ServicePresident George W. Bush urged a rebellious Congress on Tuesday to give his new Iraq war plan a chance and insisted in his State of the Union speech it is not too late to shape the outcome.
Facing skeptical lawmakers and some of the weakest approval ratings of his six years in office, Bush said the best chance for success is to send 21,500 more United States troops to Iraq.
"On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of the battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory," Bush said.
He did not back down even as Democrats and his own Republicans work on nonbinding congressional resolutions expressing opposition to the plan he announced two weeks ago.
"Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq -- and I ask you to give it a chance to work," Bush told the joint session of the U.S. Congress, the first time since he took office that he has faced a House of Representatives and Senate both controlled by Democrats.
With a Washington-Post/ABC News poll giving Bush a 33 percent approval rating, he faces a tough road ahead focusing America's attention on domestic issues with Iraq dominating the debate.
He sought to push an agenda at home against a heavy tide of criticism over Iraq, calling climate change a "serious challenge" that he would address by reducing U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent over 10 years and increasing use of alternative fuels.
In the audience of lawmakers, Cabinet officials, diplomats and Supreme Court justices were as many as 10 potential successors of both political parties jockeying for position to replace him.
A silence fell over the crowd as Bush reviewed the 2006 setbacks in Iraq. Some of the Iraq lines in his speech netted ovations only from Republicans.
Watching over his shoulder was the first woman speaker of the House, California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who refused to stand and applaud during some sections of Bush's Iraq remarks.
"Unfortunately, tonight the president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq," she said in a joint statement with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat.
Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a recently elected Vietnam veteran with a son serving in Iraq, said "we need a new direction in Iraq," a policy "that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq."
Massachusetts Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy said two of the best words he heard in Bush's speech were "Madame Speaker."
Bush rejected Democratic arguments for pulling American troops out of Baghdad. He said Iraq would be victim of an epic battle between Shi'ite and Sunni extremists and Iraq's government would be overrun if U.S. forces step back before Baghdad is secure.
"This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in," he said.
Commenting on global terrorism, Bush said there was a much clearer view of the nature of the enemy in the years since the September 11 attacks on U.S. targets by Al-Qaida.
He said Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who has not yet been found by U.S. forces, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al-Qaida's leader in Iraq who was killed by U.S. forces, and their Sunni extremist followers were just one camp in the Islamist radical movement.
"In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia [Shi'ite] extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East," Bush said in a prepared text of his remarks.
"Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah - a group second only to Al-Qaida in the American lives it has taken," Bush said.
"The Shia [Shi'ite] and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat," he said.
Bush and his administration have accused Iran of fueling instability in Iraq and have vowed to stop any such activity.
Bush also addressed Iran's nuclear program, saying "the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons."
Bush addressed U.S. efforts to promote democracy in the Middle East, saying that for the sake of Americans' security, the U.S. must "help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity."
Bush also addressed Middle East developments in the direction of liberty in recent years, hailing free elections in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq in 2005. He said these developments were undermined by terrorist and extremist activities in 2006.
In a brief statement on Israeli-Palestinian relations, Bush said the U.S., along with the other members of the Quartet, is "pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security."
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Pres. Bush understands the strategic importance of Iraq in the Mid-E (check the map of the Gulf) and the importance of Democracy in governing (Israel is the only democracy there.) Some people in other nations and the uninformed in the US seem to also forget who/what initiated this war on all of the nations? economies?World Trade Center?as well as the US Government & military which was the only one with the ability to do something about it. (Strange, just 4 months before the launch of the Euro and now the strange bedfellows of Iran & Venezuela concerning oil trade in Euros, Russia & Iran etc? think about it.) Despotisms are what want to have power over you and they join together in one screeching voice of hatred to bring down your freedom! (Then true to form will fight each other.) See how treacherously they treat their own people for gain?is this what you want? The ?mid E mentality? is that the US just wants to rule the world (transfer psychology). If that is true, then why are Germany and Japan (America?s former enemies) successful autonomous free nations today? The Democratic Party seems to forget all this, as they try to disparage Pres. Bush-for their own gain!
While the US stock market is doing great, most middle class Americans are not. Yes, there is high employment, but it is in jobs that can not support a middle class life style. The US middle class which provides the consumer economic engine is disappearing. In addition the US has four MAJOR problems that are being totally ignored: (1) Peak Oil which will cause a huge rise in the cost of everything in the US that uses energy. There is NOTHING in the pipeline that can replace Oil in time to prevent economic collapse in the US. (2) The huge US debt that can only be eliminated by HIGH taxes or default to China, Japan and Social Security. (3) retirement shortfalls (4) health care costs. Basically the US is set to have a very BAD future of its own making.
You can also hold them personally responsible for voting for the Iraq campaign. It is Congress who gave him the go ahead, all of them! He invaded with Congressional approval, moron.
I agree that an attack on Iran is now a total non-starter. I believe the tide of resistance to Bush's Middle East insanity is so great, so unstoppable, that we would see mass resignations in the Pentagon and the armed forces if he even tried to float the idea of an Iranian attack. This morning's propaganda story that Iran is colluding with Iran to develop a nuclear weapon probably represents the Last Hurrah of Zionist neocons. What we are witnessing in America and Israel at the moment is the total wreckage of the Zionist Dream of a Greater Israel.
the only way Iran will be attacked at this point is through sanctions. Committees withdrawing pension fund investments in companies dealing with Iran, banks closing out their accounts with Iran, that sort of thing will be the order of the day. But, I do agree that Iran is a threat to stability in the region and the world. Islamic Court is being supplied by Iran along with Nasrallah and Sadr. They are a global problem and everyone is aware of it.
From now on it's just a slow, two-year slide through ridicule, derision, jokes and outright hostility into oblivion for Bush. He and his villainous spinmeister, Karl Rove, conned the American public twice. Now they know it. They will not be forgiving.
4.5% unemployment, stock market up, no tax hikes on the middle class, support for small business at an all time high. what mess are we in domestically?
Please do that. It is up to every American to state their opinion as soon as possible to their various representatives. And, may I add, it is also up to every Israeli to put forward their opinion to their representatives regarding an attack on Iran. Otherwise, folks, we may all be in a nuclear WWIII. Please speak out, if you don't like the look of your future!
Right on Akiva: you take the words right out of my mouth. I agree with you completely. Regards, Hannah
We have a crazy & desperate president who will, if not stopped now, do crazy things just to show the American people, and the rest of the world, that he's a tough guy. People in power have difficulty letting go. Just witness how your own president is behaving in face of all the calls for him to resign. Come to think of it, maybe the "W" in George W. Bush's name really stands for Wacko! The Congress & Senate must act now. I'll be calling my represeentatives today to emphasize this point to them and tell them that I'll hold them personally responsible if this Wacko remains in office! He's the Bull that must not be allowed to enter the Crystal shop!
Cheyney and Bush both, should be impeached. The problem though is that they've created such a mess here domesically, it will take every moment congress has available to begin to heal the ravaged and abandoned social fabric from which unbridled capitalism extorts its obscene wealth.
Impotency, and more impotency. However, we must all remember that great film, "Doctor Strangelove". The more impotent they become, the more dangerous they become: something about lost libido. However, I masochistically sat through the whole 50 minutes. Other than Nancy cheering on exactly the wrong things, what I most noticed was how Cheney focussed himself upon Nancy's legs. What a grim and stupidly motivated bunch of people.
over there, almost our entire force. Biden pushing res this week reminding Pres he has no authorization for attack on Iran; Reps and Dems very nervous--when asked what if Bush does it, there were mumblings about impeachment, boy wouldn't that be something in the middle of the mess. If Bush lets Israel whine him into bombing Iran, hold onto your hat!!!
what some NeoCons say. If the US or Israel attacks Iran, Bush will be gone within a few weeks of the US public realizing that their life as they knew it was gone. Once the US public realizes they will pay a terrible price economically for a misadventure in Iran, Bush will be gone and Israel will be abandoned to what ever fate comes its way. The bottom line is Americans care most about their own lives far more than they do about Israeli lives and when their children are starving because Walmart can't transport food to their stores they will react in a very negative manner to those that caused that problem.
Bush is so far out of synch with the American public he in danger of convincing enough republicans the only thing that will save them is Bush and Chenny's impeachments. Even though Pelosi ruled out impeachment, if enough republicans join the democrats, she may not be able to avoid it. The reality is the war will continue to go down hill for a few simple reasons that everyone seems to want to avoid talking about: (1) The Shi'a and the Kurds that have been oppressed by the Sunnis for centuries (not just under Saddam) have zero desire to share any of the power and wealth they got from the Sunnis courtesy of the American misadventure. It is pay back time for Shi'a and the Kurds to the Sunnis. (2) The Sunnis are not going to passively agree to lose all their wealth and power. (3) as a result, civil war is going to happen NO MATTER WHAT THE US DOES. Once the Americans realize that US soldiers are just sitting ducks that can not effect the outcome of the civil war, they will demand to get out