President George W. Bush pushed forward with heated rhetoric calling for Saddam Hussein's ouster yesterday evening, declaring that the Iraqi dictator can no longer be allowed to "dominate, intimidate, or attack" his own people, the United States or its allies with torture and weapons of mass destruction.
In his second State of the Union address broadcast from the Capitol building, Bush cited Hussein's failure to account for weapons of mass destruction -- considered by the White House to be a lethal security risk in the war on terrorism -- as one of several reasons why the United States must effect a regime change in Iraq.
The urgent need for such action, Bush said, may make it necessary for the United States to launch its own preemptive war if gaining the world's approval takes too long. Bush announced that Secretary of State Colin Powell will speak at the United Nations Feb. 5 to outline U.S. security concerns and intelligence reports.
"We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding -- if Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him," Bush said.
On his lengthy list of reasons to remove Hussein, the President spoke solemnly of U.S. intelligence reports showing human rights violations endured by Iraq's people, including "electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues and rape."
Bush added that Hussein has not accounted for up to 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500 tons of sarin, mustard gas and VX nerve agent and nearly 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical weapons.
"If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning," Bush said. "And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country, your enemy is ruling your country. And the day [Hussein] and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation."
On the domestic agenda, among Bush's new proposals during his hour-long speech were spending $400 billion in ten years to give seniors a prescription drug benefit upon joining a Medicare HMO and $1.2 billion to develop non-polluting, hydrogen-powered automobiles.
Bush also proposed a permanent tax relief plan that would give back $670 billion to families and investors in an attempt to revitalize the stalled economy.
Conventional conservative issues, such as a ban on the controversial late-term abortion procedure dubbed partial-birth abortion by its foes, were also mentioned.
On the two other countries comprising Bush's "Axis of Evil," the President placed faith in the Iranian people to end the oppressive reign of Iran's Islamic clerics.
"In Iran, we continue to see a government that represses its people, pursues weapons of mass destruction and supports terror," he said.
"We also see Iranian citizens risking intimidation and death as they speak out for liberty, human rights and democracy. Iranians, like all people, have a right to choose their own government, and determine their own destiny and the United States supports their aspirations to live in freedom."
And on North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Il flouted the requests of U.N. nuclear weapons inspections officers and cheated on past agreements with the United States, Bush said: "America is working with the countries of the region, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia to find a peaceful solution, and to show the North Korean government that nuclear weapons will bring only isolation, economic stagnation, and continued hardship. The North Korean regime will find respect in the world, and revival for its people, only when it turns away from its nuclear ambitions."
At a critical time in his presidency, Bush faces approval ratings lower than at any point since Sept. 11, 2001, as well as mounting opposition to his policy on Iraq and his handling of the nation's floundering economy. In a collective response after his address, Democrats sought to capitalize on escalating unemployment rates and plummeting consumer confidence and stock values.
"This administration's policies will produce deficits of over a trillion dollars over the next decade," said Washington state Gov. Gary Locke, last night's Democratic spokesperson. "We think it's upside-down economics; it does too little to stimulate the economy now and does too much to weaken our economic future. It will create huge, permanent deficits that will raise interest rates, stifle growth, hinder home ownership and cut off the avenues of opportunity that have let so many work themselves up from poverty."
On the issue of Iraq, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., noted Bush's relative lack of new concrete evidence regarding Hussein's weapons programs in his address.
Such hard data is needed if Bush wants the broad congressional support received by past presidents in times of war, Daschle said.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., added that Bush "has too often practiced a blustering unilateralism that is wrong, and even dangerous, for our country."
