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Non-Tech : The Enron Scandal - Unmoderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (913)	1/30/2002 6:41:02 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 3602

Surer Voice, Wider Vision By ELISABETH BUMILLER NEWS ANALYSIS January 30, 2002 The New York Times WASHINGTON — The changes in George W. Bush as a leader over the last four months have been noticed across the nation and around the world, but tonight's State of the Union address showed how significantly his own conception of the presidency has evolved. In a forceful 50 minutes of plain speaking and moments of eloquence, Mr. Bush defined a more engaged and activist presidency, spurred by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the faltering economy and public concerns over the implosion of the Enron Corporation. In doing so, Mr. Bush reached back to the language of Ronald Reagan and Franklin D. Roosevelt as he broadened the scope of his war on terrorism to include countries that not only harbor terrorists, but also sponsor terrorism and are trying to develop weapons of mass destruction that threaten American security. Mr. Bush's warnings seemed intended to put pressure on the countries he cited: North Korea, Iran and Iraq. On more familiar domestic fronts, the president at least partly abandoned his laissez-faire view of government regulation in business, saying that oversight of corporate accounting should be stronger, not weaker. Though Mr. Bush did not mention Enron by name, he did not have to when he expressed outrage for the people hurt by the company's misleading financial statements. "I ask Congress to enact new safeguards for 401(k) and pension plans," Mr. Bush said to applause. "Employees who have worked hard and saved all their lives should not have to risk losing everything if their company fails." Mr. Bush delivered an almost Clintonesque promise to use the power of government to produce jobs and protect those without health insurance, a striking change from last year's inaugural address when he told Americans that "what you do is as important as anything government does." He was mindful of the fate of his father, a president who was as popular after the 1991 Persian Gulf war as the son is now, but who lost re- election the next year because of a failure to tend to the economy. Thus, Mr. Bush tonight called for an array of government programs in areas identified with Democrats, like expanding health care coverage for the unemployed and creating a new corps of government-sponsored volunteers. "This time of adversity" he said, offered "a moment we must seize to change our culture" and "through the gathering momentum of millions of acts of service and decency and kindness, I know we can overcome evil with greater good." Mr. Bush also used his speech to expand the definition of foreign threats. First restating that the United States would pursue terrorists and the nations that harbored them, he added that it was essential to take on nations that develop weapons of mass death and cited Iraq, Iran and North Korea as countries he intended to contain or confront. Though Mr. Bush made clear that fighting terrorism remained the focus of his presidency, he showed that the war he was most worried about winning was the one against the recession. As the White House had promised, Mr. Bush's speech was split into what he sees as his three central tasks: winning the war against terrorism, protecting the nation from attacks and repairing the economy. If the address did not have the drama of Mr. Bush's Sept. 20 speech in the same House chamber, when an untried president vowed to unleash the nation's military might against Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, it was still a marked change from the first major speech he made as president to Congress only 11 months ago. That speech, a Feb. 27 address similar to a State of the Union but without the formal title, was delivered after only five weeks in office by a more tentative president who had staggered into the White House after losing the popular vote and winning Florida with the help of the Supreme Court. Tonight, Mr. Bush strode into the well of the House of the Representatives as one of the most popular presidents in modern American history, lifted by the public's majority view that he is handling the war well. "Who knows if he's a different man, but the perception of him is very different," said Alan Brinkley, a history professor at Columbia University. "People look at him now not just as a president, but as an important president." Mr. Bush received sustained applause as he made his way toward the lectern, and his remarks were interrupted more than 70 times by clapping. The tableau was that of a celebration of a war hero, even as polls show that voters suspect his administration may be hiding something about Enron, and even as some Republicans question Vice President Dick Cheney's refusal to provide records to Congress about talks he held with Enron executives. "The White House staff has to guard against hubris," said Kenneth M. Duberstein, a former chief of staff to President Reagan. "The danger is that 85 percent means infallibility, 85 percent means we can do whatever we want. I think the president understands well the challenges and dangers that come with 85 percent job approval." Mr. Bush tried to apply his popularity as commander in chief to his leadership at home: "We will win this war, we'll protect our homeland, and we will revive our economy." Mr. Bush then said for the first time that his budget for next year would run a deficit — but "small and short term so long as Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally responsible manner."

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (913)	1/30/2002 12:23:01 PM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3602

"Ignorance of their ignorance is the malady of the ignorant"...Herbert Spencer. and another thought that seems to fit.... Message 15953192

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (913)	1/30/2002 3:21:06 PM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3602

Ray, you must start reading occasionally! Not just blathering with professional prose. First, how very "nice" of you to make this remark...I'm sure GWB will care. However you might, if you read the links below..... Though to his credit, except for the blatant saber rattling about Iran and North Korea, the President didn't seem terribly insane. Go ahead, read all of these links....I dare you. And then let us see how much your smart mouth says....Do you think any of these people and reports are lying...? Especially in Clinton's term? Message 16879191 Including this: North Korea Advisory Group Report to The Speaker U.S. House of Representatives November 1999 house.gov In the last five years, North Korea's missile capabilities have improved dramatically. North Korea has produced, deployed and exported missiles to Iran and Pakistan, launched a three-stage missile (Taepo Dong 1), and continues to develop a larger and more powerful missile (Taepo Dong 2). Unlike five years ago, North Korea can now strike the United States with a missile that could deliver high explosive, chemical, biological, or possibly nuclear weapons. Currently, the United States is unable to defend against this threat.