By Derek Hawkins
With the economy on the downturn, a housing crisis in full effect and approval ratings at an all-time low, President George Bush’s seventh State of the Union address likely fell on many deaf ears.
But when it played at the Curry Student Center Monday night, it fell on no ears.
Despite large turnouts at an airing of the speech last year at afterHOURS, two News reporters were unable to find any students watching President Bush make one of the final major appearances of his presidency.
In a departure from the aggressive tone and lofty ideas that characterized previous addresses, Bush opted for simplicity this year, focusing most of his remarks on the war in Iraq, taxes and the economy.
Bush attributed the reduction in violence and other improvements in Iraq to the troop surge he called for in January 2007 and completed in June, and promised to return 20,000 troops to the United States in the next few months.
However, he remained firm in his refusal to set a timetable for full troop withdrawal, saying: “Any further drawdown of US troops will be based on conditions in Iraq and the recommendations of our commanders.” His remarks come as the US military death toll approaches 4,000.
On several occasions, Bush, facing a Congress controlled by Democrats, leveled stern demands on the legislature. Among them were the approval of a $150 billion plan to give families and businesses tax rebates, a reduction of the number of earmarked appropriations bills by half and insistence that Congress not raise federal taxes.
“Members of Congress should know: If any bill raising taxes reaches my desk, I will veto it,” he warned.
On foreign policy issues, Bush called for the recognition of a Palestinian state, a strong stance against the Iranian government and a commitment of 2,300 additional Marines to Afghanistan. He coupled this with requests to oppose genocide in Sudan, devote $30 billion in HIV/AIDS relief money and offer greater benefits to veterans and their families.
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius gave the Democratic response that followed Bush’s 53-minute address.
