K
Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names
Guest
The sorry state of a lame-duck's legacy
By John Nichols
The Nation Online Beat
January 28, 2008
THE CONSTITUTION requires that presidents "from time to time give to
Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their
Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient."
Tradition has made the annual State of the Union address the primary
public venue for such reporting.
As such, the State of the Union address is officially a big deal. And
it is always accorded an appropriate measure of attention by the
television networks, members of Congress (unless, like John McCain,
they are bidding to replace the president) and the American people.
But some State of the Union addresses are more equal than others. When
George Bush addressed Congress in 2005, he did so as the most powerful
man on the planet: the reelected commander of a warrior nation that
was controlled down to the very roots of its executive, legislative
and judicial branches by the president's partisan allies. Even if it
was obvious to any serious observer that severe second-term rot had
already begun to set in, Bush boldly renewed America's acquaintance
with all the bad ideas - neo-conservative military adventuring and
free trade abroad, deficit spending and related flights of fiscal
fantasy at home - of his tenure.
Status Quo
Nothing was going to change, the president told America. Nothing would
get better.
And nothing did. The occupation of Iraq grew deadlier and more
expensive, the occupation of Afghanistan grew more unstable, trade
deficits grew, structural deficits bloated, the rich got richer, the
poor got poorer and America's economy slowly swirled down the drain.
Then came the election of 2006, with its defeat of Bush's Republican
Party and the restoration of Democratic control of the Congress. Even
if the Democrats did not provide Bush with the full-bodied opposition
that the voted had hoped for, their presence broke the illusion of
Bush's omnipotence.
No Humility
So it was that the president delivered his final State of the Union
address last night as a broken man whose partisan allies would not
even wear the "I'm a Bush Republican" pins that had been delivered to
their offices by a puckish critic of the president and his party.
Even in the face of the humiliation that is a 31 percent approval
rating, the president could not muster the humility that might have
engendered sympathy.
Instead, he steadfastly stuck by a failed agenda. Yes, there were
minor bows to reality, highlighted by his recent recognition that some
redistribution of the wealth will be required to slow the arrival of a
scorching recession until after this year's elections.
But even as he promoted the economic stimulus package that his aides
and congressional leaders had cobbled together, Bush refused to make
the most basic connections with regard to the crisis he has created.
No New Ideas
Noting that Bush aides were promising on Monday that the president
would offer "no new ideas" in his speech, Minnesota Congressman Keith
Ellison, a Democratic freshman, observed: "That's unfortunate. Mr.
President: Our country is in grave economic trouble. We have a housing
finance meltdown going on while energy costs spiral up and down.
Affordable and accessible healthcare is out of reach to almost 50
million Americans with 6 million alone added during this President's
tenure. Our educational system has left far too many children behind,
while our bridges are literally falling down in America. Mr.
President: our country needs an economic stimulus package that will
result in something more than pocket change for most working families.
Mr. President: The best American economic stimulus package you could
offer the American public is to end this war in Iraq."
Unfortunately, of not surprisingly, Bush declined to take Ellison's
advice.
As predicted, the president's last State of the Union speech echoed
the empty rhetoric of the speeches that came before it. There was an
extended call on Congress to make permanent the tax cuts for the rich
that have so skewed the nation's economic balance since Bush secured
them. There were attacks on spending by a president who has presided
over the dramatic bloating of deficits that are the spawn of
unsustainable spending. There were more defenses of free-trade pacts
that have harmed workers, the environment and communities in the
United States and abroad. And there were more fantastical claims about
the successes of the disastrous occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Swan Song
The president would have made news last night if he had said, "I'm
sorry. I broke it."
But George Bush never was very good at taking responsibility for his
mistakes. So he offered America another order of "the usual."
Unfortunately for him, American has lost its taste for what this
president is peddling - and for the man himself.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, summed the evening up best
when she said: "Tonight's speech is the 'swan song' of a presidency
that is ending and will not be missed. President Bush may choose to
believe that the state of our union is strong; but under his
direction, our economy is flailing, our infrastructure is crumbling,
the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans is rising,
America's moral and strategic leadership in the world is plummeting,
our Constitution is being trampled, and our servicemen and women and
their families are sacrificing enormously in an unnecessary war."
Sadder and No Wiser
With the delivery of this final State of the Union address, Bush
fulfilled one of his constitutional duties.
Would that Congress might do the same and begin impeachment hearings.
In the absence of that appropriate response to a failed presidency, we
are left with the sad circumstance of State of the Union address
delivered by an executive whose tenure is over in every sense save the
one that matters most.
As such, the circumstance, while sad for Bush, is sadder still for
America.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?pid=276707
By John Nichols
The Nation Online Beat
January 28, 2008
THE CONSTITUTION requires that presidents "from time to time give to
Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their
Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient."
Tradition has made the annual State of the Union address the primary
public venue for such reporting.
As such, the State of the Union address is officially a big deal. And
it is always accorded an appropriate measure of attention by the
television networks, members of Congress (unless, like John McCain,
they are bidding to replace the president) and the American people.
But some State of the Union addresses are more equal than others. When
George Bush addressed Congress in 2005, he did so as the most powerful
man on the planet: the reelected commander of a warrior nation that
was controlled down to the very roots of its executive, legislative
and judicial branches by the president's partisan allies. Even if it
was obvious to any serious observer that severe second-term rot had
already begun to set in, Bush boldly renewed America's acquaintance
with all the bad ideas - neo-conservative military adventuring and
free trade abroad, deficit spending and related flights of fiscal
fantasy at home - of his tenure.
Status Quo
Nothing was going to change, the president told America. Nothing would
get better.
And nothing did. The occupation of Iraq grew deadlier and more
expensive, the occupation of Afghanistan grew more unstable, trade
deficits grew, structural deficits bloated, the rich got richer, the
poor got poorer and America's economy slowly swirled down the drain.
Then came the election of 2006, with its defeat of Bush's Republican
Party and the restoration of Democratic control of the Congress. Even
if the Democrats did not provide Bush with the full-bodied opposition
that the voted had hoped for, their presence broke the illusion of
Bush's omnipotence.
No Humility
So it was that the president delivered his final State of the Union
address last night as a broken man whose partisan allies would not
even wear the "I'm a Bush Republican" pins that had been delivered to
their offices by a puckish critic of the president and his party.
Even in the face of the humiliation that is a 31 percent approval
rating, the president could not muster the humility that might have
engendered sympathy.
Instead, he steadfastly stuck by a failed agenda. Yes, there were
minor bows to reality, highlighted by his recent recognition that some
redistribution of the wealth will be required to slow the arrival of a
scorching recession until after this year's elections.
But even as he promoted the economic stimulus package that his aides
and congressional leaders had cobbled together, Bush refused to make
the most basic connections with regard to the crisis he has created.
No New Ideas
Noting that Bush aides were promising on Monday that the president
would offer "no new ideas" in his speech, Minnesota Congressman Keith
Ellison, a Democratic freshman, observed: "That's unfortunate. Mr.
President: Our country is in grave economic trouble. We have a housing
finance meltdown going on while energy costs spiral up and down.
Affordable and accessible healthcare is out of reach to almost 50
million Americans with 6 million alone added during this President's
tenure. Our educational system has left far too many children behind,
while our bridges are literally falling down in America. Mr.
President: our country needs an economic stimulus package that will
result in something more than pocket change for most working families.
Mr. President: The best American economic stimulus package you could
offer the American public is to end this war in Iraq."
Unfortunately, of not surprisingly, Bush declined to take Ellison's
advice.
As predicted, the president's last State of the Union speech echoed
the empty rhetoric of the speeches that came before it. There was an
extended call on Congress to make permanent the tax cuts for the rich
that have so skewed the nation's economic balance since Bush secured
them. There were attacks on spending by a president who has presided
over the dramatic bloating of deficits that are the spawn of
unsustainable spending. There were more defenses of free-trade pacts
that have harmed workers, the environment and communities in the
United States and abroad. And there were more fantastical claims about
the successes of the disastrous occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Swan Song
The president would have made news last night if he had said, "I'm
sorry. I broke it."
But George Bush never was very good at taking responsibility for his
mistakes. So he offered America another order of "the usual."
Unfortunately for him, American has lost its taste for what this
president is peddling - and for the man himself.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, summed the evening up best
when she said: "Tonight's speech is the 'swan song' of a presidency
that is ending and will not be missed. President Bush may choose to
believe that the state of our union is strong; but under his
direction, our economy is flailing, our infrastructure is crumbling,
the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans is rising,
America's moral and strategic leadership in the world is plummeting,
our Constitution is being trampled, and our servicemen and women and
their families are sacrificing enormously in an unnecessary war."
Sadder and No Wiser
With the delivery of this final State of the Union address, Bush
fulfilled one of his constitutional duties.
Would that Congress might do the same and begin impeachment hearings.
In the absence of that appropriate response to a failed presidency, we
are left with the sad circumstance of State of the Union address
delivered by an executive whose tenure is over in every sense save the
one that matters most.
As such, the circumstance, while sad for Bush, is sadder still for
America.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?pid=276707
