Senator Harry Reid set the right tone on Wednesday night when he said in the Democratic response to the State of the Union: "When we believe the president is on the right track, we won't let partisan interests get in the way of what's good for our country . . . But when he gets off track, we will be there to hold him accountable."
There were several unifying moments during President Bush's speech that all Americans, regardless of party, should applaud. Of course we all join the President in celebrating the elections in Iraq. All of us join, too, in honoring America's fallen soldiers. President Bush was right to challenge Saudi Arabia and Egypt and to support reform in Palestine.
Nevertheless, the President went very far off track on several important issues and neglected others of vital importance. On Social Security, he once again used the State of the Union as a means to invent a phantom crisis. The country would indeed benefit from "an open, candid review of the options," as the President proposed, but his words here served only to mislead. The White House must know that Americans, if given a fair review, are not likely to gamble on privatization. Rather than accept this cautious wisdom, the President has opted to continue his brazen habit of deceit.
Regarding Iraq, President Bush failed to explain how he plans to improve and accelerate the training of the Iraqi army to take over security duties, the crucial step toward eventual American withdrawal. Meanwhile, he only devoted a few diluted lines to the fundamental issues of homeland security and reducing al-Qaeda's ranks. And the President's disgraceful attack on the civil rights of gay Americans was absolutely incompatible with his overall theme of liberty.
The state of our union is confident, says the President. If only we could be so confident in his veracity. Owen Conroy is the former president of the College Democrats. He can be reached at oconroy@princeton.edu.
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