Bush urges U.S. to ‘go forward’

President Bush last night told Americans that they cannot turn the nation’s leadership over to someone not committed to seeing through the war on terrorism and cannot succumb to the “dangerous illusion” that the battle is over.

“We have not come all this way — through tragedy, trial and war — only to falter and leave our work unfinished,” he told a joint session of Congress in his State of the Union speech for his fourth year in office.

Although Mr. Bush was careful not to make his speech overtly political, he clearly was sketching out a vision of national and economic security that cannot be trusted to antiwar, pro-tax Democrats.

“Now we face a choice,” he said. “We can go forward with confidence and resolve — or we can turn back to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes are no threat to us.

“We can press on with economic growth, and reforms in education and Medicare,” he added. “Or we can turn back to the old policies and old divisions.”

The speech came a day after the president’s Democratic rivals battled each other in the Iowa caucuses. The serious tone of Mr. Bush’s speech and the formal trappings of a presidential address to a joint session of Congress contrasted sharply with Iowa’s dominant image — an emotional outburst by red-faced Democrat Howard Dean.

Taking full advantage of this juxtaposition, Mr. Bush spoke in sober tones about the defining issue of his presidency — the terrorist attacks of September 11. By chance, he even began speaking at 9:11 p.m., after shaking hands with lawmakers while walking through the cheering Senate chamber.

“Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11, 2001 — over two years without an attack on American soil — and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us,” the president said. “That hope is understandable, comforting — and false.”

Republicans applauded heartily throughout the speech, but Democrats mostly sat on their hands.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts was shown on television shaking his head at one point of the president’s speech; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York applauded tepidly at another. Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York appeared to be asleep.

The 54-minute speech was interrupted for applause 68 times and received 35 standing ovations, three of which were joined in by all of the chamber’s Democrats.

Mr. Bush got obvious negative feedback only once. A scattered chorus of boos broke out when he called for renewing portions of the Patriot Act, which many conservative and liberal civil-liberties groups have criticized as infringing on freedoms.

In his first State of the Union not delivered immediately before or after a war, the president made an effort to pivot to domestic issues that will be important to his re-election. Insisting that he is unsatisfied by the booming economy, Mr. Bush vowed to stimulate lagging job growth.

Story Continues →