Final Bush Speech Looks Back Instead of Ahead
President Bush's final State of the Union address Monday night at Capitol Hill focused on the continuing war in Iraq, and a speedy passage of his tax rebate package, the New York Times reported.
A prevelant theme of the president's speech was future uncertainty. “As we meet tonight, our economy is undergoing a period of uncertainty,� Bush said, including that “at kitchen tables across the country, there is concern about our economic future," reported the New York Times.
Although the White House ensured that the speech would look ahead, the president's speech was more a summation of the past seven years. “We have faced hard decisions about peace and war, rising competition in the world economy, and the health and welfare of our citizens,� Bush said. “These issues call for vigorous debate, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve answered that call. Yet history will record that amid our differences, we acted with purpose.�
Bush mentioned little about forgein affairs, but made a strong push for signiture education bill, No Child Left Behind, and an agenda to provide low-income students with $300 million in scholarship money. He hopes that this plan will lower high school dropout rates, and aid struggling schools.
With 51 weeks left in his predidency, Bush indicates that he will move forward, but not drastically. It seems that the president plans on taking small steps towards change, and indicates that there will be both war and economic hardships in the future.