| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"=?UTF-8?Q?UNCLE_WALLY_2008_=E2=98=BB_HOOROO_!?=" |
| Date: |
29 Jan 2008 12:39:08 AM |
| Object: |
Dumbo's Last Stand, peoplez ?!? |
We wish ~!!!
HOOROO
UNCLE WALLY
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President Bush's last stand?
By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Washington
George W Bush may be seen by many as a lame-duck president, but he
tried hard to sound forceful and underline that he is still relevant.
Wearing a light blue tie and a dark suit, the president Bush sounded
comfortable with his speech, but even he admitted there was much
unfinished business. He used the word veto twice, making clear he
would use his powers, mainly on tax-related issues.
"Members of Congress should know: if any bill raising taxes reaches my
desk, I will veto it."
He also warned Congress against trying to add anything to the $150bn
(=A376bn) economy stimulus package, warning that would risk derailing or
delaying it.
The package, mostly drawn up by the Bush administration, was approved
last week after much negotiation and compromise between Democratic and
Republican congressional leaders.
It is hoped it will help stave off a recession, although many say tax
cuts are not a long-term fix to the economic woes facing the US.
Democratic fire
The president attempted to be reassuring and talked about the need to
be confident, trust the people with their own money and empower them
to help the economy grow.
The best Mr Bush could offer was a call to individual empowerment - a
noble idea, but in Mr Bush's hands just another excuse to abdicate
government responsibility
New York Times editorial
However, criticism was quick to come from Democratic circles.
Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama highlighted what he
described as a big gap between the sense of urgency that the public
felt and the way Mr Bush spoke, saying people wanted something much
more robust than tax cuts.
"We know it was George Bush's Washington that let the banks and
financial institutions run amok, and take our economy down this
dangerous road," Mr Obama said.
In an editorial, the New York Times wrote that "the nation is
splintered over the war in Iraq, cleaved by ruthless partisan
politics, bubbling with economic fear and mired in debate over
virtually all of the issues Mr Bush faced in 2002.
"And the best Mr Bush could offer was a call to individual empowerment
- a noble idea, but in Mr Bush's hands just another excuse to abdicate
government responsibility."
Mr Bush made some references to the "last seven years", mostly in
connection to the attacks of 9/11 and events linked to his "freedom
agenda", like the fall of the Taleban regime and the pro-democracy
demonstrations in Lebanon.
But, overall, the speech was more forward-looking than reflective.
Lasting legacy?
Although most presidents would use their (probable) last State of the
Union to burnish their legacy, Mr Bush seemed acutely aware that as
the most controversial US president in recent years, it was perhaps
best to steer clear even of the word itself.
He did talk modestly about the successes in Iraq and said that the
"American and Iraqi surges have achieved results few of us could have
imagined just one year ago".
He insisted that al-Qaeda was on the run and that "this enemy will be
defeated", but he made clear that any reduction in US troop numbers
would be based on conditions on the ground and the recommendation of
military commanders.
He warned that withdrawing too quickly would undermine the recent
success.
The response came from Hillary Clinton, who attended the address in
Congress - wearing a red power suit and clapping occasionally - before
sending out an e-mail to the media.
"President Bush isn't satisfied with failure after failure in Iraq; he
wants to bind the next president to his failed strategy by
unilaterally negotiating with the Iraqi government about the future of
the US-Iraq security relationship, including the possibility of
permanent US bases in Iraq," she said.
SEE THE PRESIDENT'S GOALS
Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need
Adobe Reader
Towards the end of his speech, Mr Bush spoke for some time about what
he described as the need to "change the conditions that breed
resentment and allow extremists to prey on despair".
=46rom the fight against global poverty to the struggle against global
poverty, he said America was a force for hope in the world because "we
are a compassionate people".
He called on Congress to double the initial commitment to fighting HIV/
Aids by approving another $30bn over the next five years.
"To this day, Mr Bush's compassionate conservatism has never vanished
completely [but he was] too distracted by war and foreign policy and
too bored by the processes of government to know if the people working
for him were following through on his proposals," wrote Jacob
Weisberg, editor of the online political magazine Slate, in a
Washington Post op-ed.
"The Compassionate Conservative will surely pay us a final visit
tonight. He remains an appealing character but a largely fictional
one, I wonder how the last seven years might have turned out if he had
actually existed.
"In the last year of a failed presidency, I bet Mr Bush does too."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7214599.stm
Published: 2008/01/29 05:59:16 GMT
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