President Bush maintained his administration’s tough
stance against Iraq last night, announcing he will ask the United
Nations to consider evidence against Saddam Hussein in what could
be a step closer to war.
During his State of the Union address Tuesday, Bush unveiled
plans to present intelligence to the U.N. Security Council on Feb.
5 that shows Iraq has developed illegal weapons and kept ties with
terrorist groups. While Bush said he would work with the world
body, he hinted that the United States will make the final decision
for war.
“We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding, if
Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, we will lead a coalition to
disarm him,” Bush said.
Bush gave his address at a time when two issues, the probable
war with Iraq and the faltering national economy, dominate
headlines and public concerns. The president began his speech,
which lasted about one hour, by outlining several domestic
initiatives, many of which echo the supply-side policies of the
1980s.
Political science professor Joel Aberbach described Bush’s
economic agenda as reminiscent of the Reagan years.
“I think he’s Ronald Reagan’s heir. Maybe he
should be called Reagan Two rather than Bush Two,” he
said.
On the domestic scene, the president’s proposals
include:
“¢bull; Permanent tax cuts, including elimination of the
dividends tax
“¢bull; Changes to Social Security allowing for private
investment
“¢bull; Ban partial-birth abortion and human cloning
“¢bull; $1.2 billion for research to develop hydrogen-fueled
autos
While many of Bush’s remarks focused on the looming
possibility of war, he also outlined a plan to spend $15 billion to
combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.
Aberbach said it was still too early to say if Bush convinced
the public on his domestic and foreign policy initiatives, and that
the administration’s willingness to fight a war against Iraq
without U.N. approval has not yet gained widespread acceptance.
“I think it’s been a hard sell so far,” he
said.
On foreign policy, the president indirectly revisited a remark
made in last year’s address, where he characterized Iraq,
Iran, and North Korea as an “Axis of Evil.” On Tuesday,
Bush mentioned the same three countries, but isolated Iraq as the
primary danger.
Bush said the United States supports Iranian people seeking
democratization and a peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis in
North Korea. But on Iraq, Bush offered a laundry list of offenses
committed by Hussein’s regime, including unaccounted-for
stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and torture of
Iraqis.
Bush linked Iraq’s regime to terrorist networks, arguing
deterrence cannot work against Iraq. He said he is willing to
accept nothing less than Iraq’s total disarmament.
“Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is
not a strategy, and it is not an option,” Bush said.
The official Democratic response to Bush’s address, given
by Washington governor Gary Locke, disagreed with the
president’s domestic proposals more than with his foreign
policy, though Locke made clear the Democrats prefer a more
multilateral approach.
“We are far stronger when we stand with other
nations,” Locke said.
He was less supportive of Bush’s economic ideas, warning
his supply-side initiatives “will produce massive
deficits” and proposed tax relief with benefits concentrated
on lower-income Americans.
On campus, leaders of student political groups split on party
lines. Carlos Orellana, president of the Democratic Law Students
Association, called Bush’s speech “long on rhetoric and
short on substance,” while Bruin Republicans president and
former Daily Bruin columnist Andrew Jones agreed with the
president’s message.
“I didn’t have a beef with any of his goals,”
Jones said.
Orellana said he was troubled by an issue Bush omitted ““
affirmative action ““ and was not convinced Bush effectively
outlined his plans.
Jones, however, said the president did well pressing his
argument.
“He finally got a chance to lay (claims against Iraq) out
in a convincing chronological order,” he said.
While mass protests opposing war in recent months suggest the
difficulty of convincing large segments of the American public to
take up arms against Iraq, Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell
may have an even harder time convincing the Security Council to
approve military strikes. Of the other four permanent members of
the council, only Britain has indicated willingness to go to war,
while France, Russia and China have shown strong reluctance.