President Bush looking forward

OPINION:

Tonight, President Bush delivers what will likely be his last State of the Union address, where he will outline his plans for the final year of his administration. A great deal has happened since the president delivered last year’s address, when the congressional Democratic leadership, buoyed by its successes in the 2006 elections, was making the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, regardless of conditions on the ground, a top priority. But the “surge” strategy implemented by Gen. David Petraeus has dramatically improved the situation on the ground. So, this year, Democrats have been downplaying Iraq and surrender dates, focusing instead on domestic issues, in particular the economy. Mr. Bush offers a multifaceted response: one part conciliatory, as evidenced by the $146 billion economic stimulus deal reached by the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday. But the second (and in all likelihood the more prevalent response) will need to be tough: to play political hardball with the liberal ideologues who dominate the Democratic congressional leadership.

Indeed, in tonight’s address, the president is expected to call on Congress to make permanent the tax cuts that are set to expire in 2010, pointing out that the American people will be hit with large tax increases if Congress fails to act. The president will also call on Congress to act now to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), the primary federal law governing the interception of telephone calls, faxes and e-mails of suspected terrorist operatives. The major difference is over a plan supported by the White House and Democrats like Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller to give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies which assisted the government’s warrantless surveillance efforts against foreign terror suspects following the September 11 attacks. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is opposed, as are many members of the Senate Democratic Caucus and groups like the ACLU. Just hours before Mr. Bush delivers his State of the Union speech tonight, the Senate has scheduled a cloture vote on whether to end a filibuster against the bill — including the retroactive immunity provision.

A host of other foreign and domestic issues are likely to come up, including efforts to reauthorize Mr. Bush’s signature education initiative, the No Child Left Behind program, and a plan to double spending on AIDS prevention overseas. The president will emphasize the need to provide adequate resources for the active-duty military and for military veterans — in particular improving care for veterans who have who have been severely injured in the post-September 11 wars against jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Bush should also address the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear weapons programs and put forward ways to encourage divestment from foreign companies that invest in Iran’s oil and gas industry — a major source of funding for its nuclear program and funding for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

Just hours after the president speaks, Republican voters go to the polls in Florida, where Mitt Romney and John McCain are locked in a virtual tie for the lead, with Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee lagging well behind. In recent days, the GOP candidates have been competing with each other to see who will provide the most tax relief: We’re glad to see that, in sharp contrast to the Democrats, the Republicans are looking for ways to reduce instead of increase the tax burden. But no less important is a serious discussion of entitlement reform — particularly involving fiscal time-bombs like Medicare and Social Security. We also note with interest the fact that Mr. McCain and Mr. Romney have no substantive difference on the success of the Iraq “surge” — a very positive part of the president’s foreign policy legacy. The differences between the Republicans and leading Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on these issues could hardly be more stark.