The Empire 346

Meer dan 70 keer appaludiseerden de Amerikaanse politici voor zichzelf in 53 minuten tijd. Meer dan 70 keer!

'Bush Touts Iraq Progress, Economic Plan
State of the Union Reflects New Focus on Money Matters
By Michael Abramowitz and Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writers Tuesday, January 29, 2008; Page A01
President Bush told the American people last night that his strategy to stabilize Iraq is achieving results "few of us could have imagined just one year ago," even as he sought to reassure the public that his new stimulus plan will stave off a recession that threatens to hobble the nation's economy during the final year of his presidency
Appearing before Congress for his seventh and last State of the Union address, Bush claimed vindication for his controversial decision a year ago to send a "surge" of about 30,000 additional troops to Iraq. "The enemy is still dangerous, and more work remains," Bush acknowledged, but with a decline in the number of high-profile attacks, sectarian violence and civilian deaths, he said, progress is unmistakable.
"Some may deny the surge is working," Bush said, "but among the terrorists there is no doubt. Al-Qaeda is on the run in Iraq, and this enemy will be defeated."
Bush's address highlighted the shifting priorities of an administration that had planned to focus its final year on the war and other international challenges but has found itself moving quickly in the past month to address the growing crisis in the economy. The past year has brought an increasing tide of bad economic news, culminating in last week's global stock market panic over a collapsing housing market and other financial woes in the United States.
The president called on Congress to finish work quickly on a $150 billion stimulus package, urging lawmakers not to "load up" the initiative with measures beyond the tax rebates and business incentives he agreed to last week with House leaders. "That would delay it or derail it, and neither option is acceptable," said Bush, who also repeated his long-ignored call to make permanent his early-term tax cuts.
The president avoided grim economic talk and instead described conditions as mixed. "In the short run, we can all see that growth is slowing," he said. "America has added jobs for a record 52 straight months, but jobs are now growing at a slower pace. Wages are up, but so are prices for food and gas. Exports are rising, but the housing market has declined."
Bush appeared in a cheery mood during his valedictory State of the Union. He chuckled at the partisan rites of the annual speech, in which Democrats and Republicans roared at different junctures, interrupting him with applause more than 70 times in the 53-minute address. His remarks, however, came amid a fierce political campaign season in which many voters are looking beyond the Bush presidency to his potential successors.'

Lees verder:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012801279.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter