With the nation teetering on the brink of war, President George W. Bush warned a joint session of Congress that "decisive days lie ahead" last night in his State of the Union address.
"Today, the greatest threat in the War on Terrorism is outlaw regimes that possess weapons of mass destruction," Bush said during the speech in which he called for the total disarmament of Iraq and a tougher stance against North Korea.
"Iraq has shown utter contempt for the United Nations and the opinion of the world," Bush said.
Though he stopped short of asking Congress for a declaration of war, the President said strong links exist between Iraqi President Saddam Hussien and the al Qaeda terrorist network and that the Iraqi leader has, since the close of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, "systematically violated an agreement" to disarm.
The President defended his aggressive stance on Iraq, which critics condemn as a policy of preemptive strike, by stressing the need for a proactive foreign policy.
"Peace must be defended," said Bush, who earlier equated Hussien's regime to "Hitlerism" and added "trusting in the restraint and sanity of Saddam Hussien is not an option."
Bush also alleged that Iraq is monitoring and intimidating UN weapons inspectors and destroying incriminating documents. Bush said Secretary of State Colin Powell would present clear evidence of weapons violations before the UN Security Council on February 5.
"One would think they would have clear evidence," Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato said. "If not, Bush is in trouble because he has raised expectation so high."
In the address Bush essentially outlined three contradictory US foreign policies in confronting North Korea, Iran and Iraq, but expects limited media coverage of these inconsistencies, Sabato said.
"The focus of media and foreign nations is so intense on Iraq alone, I doubt those contradictions will get much attention for now," Sabato said.
In the speech, lasting over an hour, Bush spent equal time on both foreign policy and domestic concern.
Bush beseeched the Congress to make the substantial tax cut passed last session permanent and outlined a number of smaller domestic and foreign incentives in the beginning half of his speech, all initiatives which according to Sabato, were neither "new nor memorable."
University Democrats President Ian Amelkin said the President "misled the American people" by not disclosing his true reasons for wanting the tax cut to be permanent and pursuing such a hard-line with Iraq.
Amelkin said the tax cut mainly provides relief to the wealthy and leaves Americans in lower income brackets "out in the cold." He also speculated that Bush's aggressive positioning on Iraq has more to do with securing traditional energy sources than securing world peace.
College Republicans President Ben Belliles disagreed with Amelkin and said the President "set forth a very strong case for the war on terrorism," potential action against Iraq and the tax cut.
Bush "understands people do want a permanent tax cut," Belliles said. He added that more forceful action is warranted against Iraq "because as [the President] stated, this threat is not a peace we can live with."
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