President Bush made a plaintive plea last night for Congress to support his Iraq policy, but the subject did not dominate his State of the Union address. Instead he mounted a domestic agenda that could push along some issues that have percolated offstage during his term in office.
He began with acclimation, delivering a dramatic ovation to Nancy Pelosi, marking her elevation to speaker of the House.
It was an odd occasion for the president – his seventh such speech but the first delivered to a Congress controlled by Democrats. With that in mind, perhaps, he made a passing reference to a subject he’s avoided throughout his presidency – “the serious challenge of global climate change.” Incredibly, though, he then plowed ahead to an unrelated subject that makes partisan blood boil – his judicial nominees.
From our perspective, the highlight of the president’s address was a push for energy security. He urged Americans to cut gasoline use by 20 percent within ten years, primarily by increased use of alternative fuels. Motorists now use 140 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Bush urged Congress to require the annual use of 35 billion gallons of ethanol and other alternatives such as bio-diesel, methanol, butanol and hydrogen by 2017. It is a five-fold increase over current requirements and a solid starting point for discussions with Congress.
Because corn-based ethanol couldn’t meet the projected increase in demand, the president is seeking a welcome speedup of research into production of cellulosic ethanol – made from wood chips, switch grass and other non-corn feedstock.
While the alternative fuels portion of Bush’s energy plan is likely to get an enthusiastic reception, Congress should push for a larger increase in fuel economy standards. Many lawmakers want more ambitious requirements – especially on large SUVs.
In at least one area – opposition to Bush’s proposed buildup in Iraq – the president faces bipartisan opposition. The president repeated his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq and proclaimed, “The consequences of failure (in Iraq) would be grievous and far reaching.”
But freshman Sen. Jim Webb, a Vietnam veteran picked by the Democrats to deliver their response to Bush, said, “The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military.” Even Republican Sen. John Warner, who was chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee until the Democratic takeover, worked with colleagues Tuesday on a resolution voicing disapproval of the president’s troop buildup.
The president is hoping Congress will endorse his policy instead. “I ask you to give it a chance to work,” Bush said.
On another major domestic issue, the president launched a questionable health care proposal – laying out a plan to tax worker’s health care benefits that exceed $15,000 a year for a couple or $7,500 for an individual. His companion plan to offer tax deductions for purchasing health insurance was criticized by the Tax Foundation Tuesday because 53 percent of Americans without coverage pay nothing in federal income taxes – and would thus could not use the deduction proposed by Bush. Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of a key House health subcommittee, said he would not even consider holding hearings on Bush’s plan.
In contrast, Democrats should cooperate with the president’s quest for comprehensive immigration reform. GOP immigrant bashers like Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, have been fiercely opposed to Bush’s guest worker plan but Congress should give it the serious consideration it deserves.
Speaker Pelosi introduced the president and in turn he called attention to her historic status as the nation’s first “madam speaker.” The exchange was applauded throughout the House chamber and added a gracious note to this traditional address.
