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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldworldnet who wrote (224033)	1/31/2002 5:36:04 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Fred Barnes The Republican moment jewishworldreview.com -- PRESIDENT BUSH'S State of the Union address should be judged in the context of a remarkable political shift since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Before then, Republicans trailed Democrats on two important counts: which party most Americans identify with, and whether they intend to vote for a Democrat or a Republican in the next congressional election. Now, not only has Bush's 30-percentage point surge in popularity after September 11 been sustained, but Republicans have opened solid leads in party ID and congressional vote intention. Republican poll numbers, in fact, are the party's best in decades. The question is what has prompted this dramatic shift. And the answer is issue inversion. Issues that were paramount in voters' minds before the attacks--health care, Social Security, the environment--are now peripheral. These are Democratic issues. And issues that were peripheral--terrorism, national security, homeland security--are now central. These are Republican issues. Bush pursues the war and talks constantly about security. Democrats insist they're with the president on the war, but since they don't hold the White House they can't direct the war effort. Instead, they spend most of their time talking up Democratic domestic issues, including the newest one, the Enron scandal. For the time being and perhaps longer, Americans prefer both Bush's decisive actions in pressing the war and his tough, patriotic message. And Bush gave them plenty of both in his speech to the nation. He vowed to carry the war on terrorism to more than a dozen countries that either harbor terrorists, are developing weapons of mass destruction, or both. In the most emphatic terms, Bush promised that he won't allow America to become vulnerable. "I will not wait on events, while dangers gather," he said. "I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer." The president gave conventional domestic issues the shortest shrift possible. No president has spent less time on those issues in a State of the Union in memory. Bush said September 11 had created a "unique moment of opportunity" to rid the world of terrorism, protect America, and develop new outlets for keeping Americans united. "We must not let this moment pass," he declared. Of course this moment is good for Bush and Republicans politically. That doesn't mean the rhetoric of his first State of the Union was ill-motivated. Rather, the post-September 11 moment is one where what's good for the world and the country also happens to be politically popular. It's a moment Bush doesn't want to let go of, nor should he. And in his address, he didn't. There are more battles ahead before the war on terrorism is won, he indicated, and he intends for America to fight, acting unilaterally if necessary. As long as the moment lasts, Democratic talk of "Enronitis" (Sen. Joe Lieberman's word) sweeping the nation will go nowhere. Promises of new health care benefits won't rise to the top of the public's agenda. And complaints about deficit spending by the Bush administration won't get traction. For now, Democrats look smaller than usual, Republicans bigger. Bush's speech fed a political environment that will keep that contrast alive. newsandopinion.com

To: goldworldnet who wrote (224033)	1/31/2002 10:15:45 PM
From: J_F_Shepard	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

"People who sell secrets to Red China are the enemy." How about Presidents who sell weapons to the enemy?????? * * *

To: goldworldnet who wrote (224033)	2/1/2002 12:35:23 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Josh: This a re-post, that is typical of Cal Thomas, well-written! Westi Cal Thomas February 1, 2002 The state of the Union (and Bush) is good Why were so many Democrats smiling during President Bush's State of the Union speech? It wasn't because they agreed with him on all his domestic priorities. It must have been because they recognize a good politician when they see one and George W. Bush has turned into one of the best. The stock market may be down, reflecting the recession, but President Bush's stock continues to rise. The people want to trust their president of whatever party and in President Bush they've found one worthy of that trust. While the president forcefully noted that the war against terrorism is not over but just beginning, and that as many as 100,000 terrorists trained in now closed camps in liberated Afghanistan have spread around the world like a virus, waiting to strike again, he also exuded confidence that the United States can defeat them. Bush took the high ground and invited Democrats to join him there. At first, I thought it was a bad idea to publicly praise liberal politicians like Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., but the president may have a greater purpose than making friends with his political adversaries. He's playing to public opinion in a way that will make the Democrats look partisan and petty if they don't help him win the war. So tax and spending policies will now be reflected through the prism of the war effort and if Democrats won't help the president win the war against recession, by implication he wants the public to think they are hurting his efforts to win the war against terrorism. CNN's Candy Crowley called Bush's speech "one part policy, one part theater and all politics." By appearing noble, the president stands a good chance of obtaining his personal goals, especially in the fall congressional elections. President Bush has assumed the role of prophet, lecturing the public on right and wrong and good vs. evil. He paraphrases biblical language to communicate powerful truths. When he said, "we can overcome evil with greater good," Bush borrowed from the Apostle Paul's admonition, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) In context, this verse refers to what to do when wronged by an enemy, but Bush seemed to be saying that while the government will fight terrorists (and overcome evil with a righteous sword), the American people should overcome the evil done to the nation by performing good works for their fellow citizens. What ought to disturb Democrats the most is not just the president's huge approval ratings but also this finding in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll. Those polled were asked: "Please tell me whether the following statement applies to Bush or not: 'He understands the problems of people like you.'" The response? Yes: 61 percent. No: 37 percent. No Republican president in recent years - in fact, no Republican leader - has been able to attract that kind of support from people who believe he feels, or understands, their pain. The president's call for Congress to act to better protect people's retirement accounts should inoculate him against attempts by Democrats to cast him as uncaring in the wake of Enron's collapse. The image conveyed by the State of the Union address is that President Bush is in charge; he knows where he wants to go and how to get there; he cares about people who suffer - either because their loved ones died on Sept.11, or they are out of work, or they've lost their retirement money. People can do more for themselves if they know their leader cares what happens to them and is trying to help remove obstacles to a better life. George W. Bush believes the state, as well as the health of the Union, rests not primarily in government but in the people. His call for volunteerism, including expansion of the Peace Corps and cutting taxes to allow people to care for themselves and others, reflected that philosophy. He seemed to be saying that the state of the Union is strong because we the people have proved ourselves strong. Psychologically, theatrically and politically, that is a message people want and need to hear. ©2002 Tribune Media Services townhall.com