PRESIDENT BUSH, "TONIGHT THE STATE OF OUR UNION IS STRONG."

With bold confidence President Bush delivered his fifth State of the Union address to both Houses of Congress. Beginning with a tribute to the passing of Coretta Scott King the President stressed the continued commitment of the United States to freedom and liberty and the defeat of terrorism. The President put the newly elected Hamas government in the Palestinian Territories on notice that they must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for peace. To the Iranian government he stressed that a nuclear Iran would not be permitted and spoke directly to the Iranian people that our problem was with their leaders and not the people as we look forward to a future with the Iranian people as our allies. It was a pleasant sight to see the President scold the Congress for the political rhetoric that has been spewed giving comfort to the enemy and hurting the moral of our troops. To this the President stated, " Yet there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy. With so much in the balance, those of us in public office have a duty to speak with candor. A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison ... Put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country ... and show that a pledge from America means little. Members of Congress: however we feel about the decisions and debates of the past, our Nation has only one option: We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission." Bush pounded home that an isolationism mentality proclaimed a weak America, " we love our freedom, and we will fight to keep it..........But our enemies and our friends can be certain: The United States will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil." The President soundly defended the legality and the necessity of the terrorist surveillance stating that it has and will continue to play a vital role in the War on Terror. On the domestic front the President stated several accomplishments which included more than four million jobs , the fastest growing economy in the world, a continual falling crime rate, reductions in abortions and teen drug use and the growing economy due to 880 billion dollars in tax relief as the American people invested in the nations economy because of the dollars that we had because of tax reduction. The President then stated that these tax cuts must become permanent. Surprisingly the President stated several new energy initiatives to decrease our dependency on foreign oil, which included an affordable and efficient ethanol within six years. He stressed nuclear power, zero emission coal fuel plants and solar energy. President Bush closed his address with a commitment to move forward, "optimistic about our country, faithful to its cause, and confident of victories to come." All in all a strong speech emphasizing our strengths addressing our needs, confronting our enemies and expressing confidence and hope for each of us and the future of our nation. God bless America.

Ken Taylor