State of concern
President takes serious tone in annual address

Created from many opinions, details and revisions, a draft is reviewed by President Bush, Counselor Karen Hughes, Chief of Staff Andy Card and National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice (holding the notebook, foreground) in the Oval Office, Thursday, Jan. 24. (http://www.whitehouse.gov)

Story by Robb McFadden
6:26 PM, 1/30/2003

The State of the Union Address has been compared to the Super Bowl of politics, yet last night's speech lacked the metaphorical high kicking cheerleaders and pyrotechnic halftime shows that have become a staple of the annual event.

In perhaps the most serious State of the Union speech in recent memory, it was what President Bush didn't do and say that set the tone. He did not introduce the First Lady. He did not acknowledge dignitaries and special guests in the audience. He did not mention the vacant seat he left open in memory of the victims of Sept. 11. He did not even tell a joke, although Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi found the speech amusing.

As Bush enters the third and defining year of his presidency, his approval ratings have settled into the 50s, the economy still looms as an unsolved problem, and the country stands on the brink of war with Iraq.

Nonetheless, the President spoke with confidence and resolve, telling the American people that he (unlike his predecessor) will confront today's challenges, however big they may be.

"We will not deny, we will not ignore, we will not pass along our problems to other Congresses, to other presidents, and other generations," the President promised.

One of Bush's themes in his 2000 campaign was to "usher in an era of responsibility," starting at the top. In the wake of a reckless and irresponsible Clinton Administration, Bush made it a priority to restore honor and dignity to the Oval Office. These efforts have been noticed in little ways - from a suits-only dress code at the White House, to the pre-screening of R movies on Air Force One - but Bush's approach to policy has also been a study in contrasts. While President Clinton seemed driven by polls and political survival, Bush has continually pushed big ideas, stayed true to his conservative ideology, and willingly confronted problems head-on.

Tuesday night's State of the Union address was sobering, serious, and stern. It's hard to believe that the speech was given by the very same person who was featured in Alexandra Pelosi's "Journeys with George," a campaign documentary that showed Bush crunching on Cheetohs and bowling oranges down airplane isles. His sense of humor was also displayed soon after his election when he attended a commencement ceremony at Yale University where he offered some advice to graduating seniors: "To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say, you, too, can be president of the United States."

But that was then, and this is now. Gone are the jokes, the niceties, the 'hi how're you doings?" Bush may have been a C student, but when it comes to politics he's done his homework and knows that popularity can vanish in a heartbeat. Following the Gulf War, Bush Sr. had sky high approval ratings, but lost the fall campaign to a little known governor from Arkansas when the economy turned sour. With the new arrivals of two new economic advisors, and with a bold $674 billion stimulus plan, President Bush seems to have learned from his father's mistakes.

Pundits and analysts predicted that the course of Bush's presidency changed with the terrorist attacks. Now, sixteen months after the attacks, an empty seat memorializing the victims of Sept. 11 was the underlying center of attention. The resulting prosecution of a second Gulf War, coupled with the performance of the American economy over the next eighteen months, will likely determine whether Bush's presidency is deemed a success or a failure in 2004.

Both are very good reasons for the President's state of concern.