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Bush: U.S. must get free of mideast oil
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-01 13:22
Bush's address came amid a changing of the guard elsewhere in Washington.
Conservative judge Samuel Alito was sworn in as a new Supreme Court justice,
replacing Sandra Day O'Connor, who has been a moderate swing vote. The Senate
also confirmed Ben Bernanke to be chairman of the Federal Reserve, replacing
Alan Greenspan after 18 1/2 years in the influential job.
Alito was in the House chamber, alongside new Chief Justice John Roberts,
another Bush nominee, and Justices Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas. The
president was applauded 58 times in a speech that ran slightly more than 50
minutes.
Facing budget deficits that may approach or exceed $400 billion this year,
Bush had no room for expensive, new initiatives.
But Bush did call for greater public spending on basic science research and
more money for math and science education.
He proposed an initiative to train 70,000 high school teachers to lead
advanced-placement courses in math and science. In addition, he urged bringing
30,000 math and science professionals into the classrooms to teach.
"We need to encourage children to take more math and science and make sure
those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations," the president
said.
Bush went before the nation after the toughest year of his administration.
His job approval rating is in the anemic high 30s to low 40s.
Health care is a priority for both parties, particularly since nearly 46
million Americans lack insurance. Democrats say that in 2005 alone, the number
of uninsured grew by nearly a million.
"Keeping American competitive requires affordable health care," the president
said.
Bush proposed greater tax benefits for health saving accounts, the
high-deductible health care plan that allows people to contribute money tax-free
to 401(k)-like health savings plans, as a way to expand their use. He said
lawmakers also must allow workers to take the coverage with them as they change
jobs.
Many Republicans cheered Bush when he defended his program of surveillance in
the United States without warrants to combat terrorism — a program whose
legality has been challenged by members of both parties. "This terrorist
surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist attacks," the president said.
As he has in every State of the Union address to some extent, Bush said the
United States must curb its reliance on foreign oil imports.
He called for more research on batteries for hybrid and electric cars and
work on alternative fuels.
"Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive
within six years," the president said. "Breakthroughs on this and other new
technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75
percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.
By targeting only Mideast oil, Bush was ignoring the largest sources of
American petroleum consumption — Mexico and Canada. Imports of oil and refined
product from the Persian Gulf make up less than a fifth of all imports and 11
percent of total consumption, according to Energy Department statistics.
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, chosen to deliver the response for the
Democrats, scolded Bush on the soaring national debt, the frustrated effort to
rebuild the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, Medicaid cuts and other issues. On
Iraq, Kaine said that Americans were given "inaccurate information about the
reasons for invading" and that troops were given body armor that was inadequate.
"The federal government should serve the American people," the newly elected
governor said. "But that mission is frustrated by this administration's poor
choices and bad management.
Bush divided his address between problems at home and abroad.
With the war in Iraq about to enter its fourth year and more than 2,240
American troops killed, Bush said the nation must not falter in what he called
the central front in the war on terror. Bush did not offer any timetable for
bringing American troops home from Iraq. There are about 138,000 U.S. troops in
Iraq, down from about 160,000 at the time of the January elections.
Despite recent elections in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories
that have given rise to religious-based parties with views sometimes hostile to
the West, Bush pressed Saudi Arabia and Egypt — longtime allies that Washington
is loath to challenge too aggressively — to provide greater freedoms to their
citizens.
He urged Hamas to "recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for
lasting peace."
Bush said the United States and its allies were united in insisting that Iran
not develop nuclear weapons. Speaking directly to the Iranian people, Bush
looked toward a different future for their country and said the United States
"hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran."
The president renewed his oft-stated goal for Congress to make permanent the
tax cuts enacted during his presidency.
"If we do nothing, American families will face a massive tax increase they do
not expect and will not welcome," he said.
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