State of the Union Address raises Voices of Rebuttal
Bush devoted much of Tuesday's State of the Union address to rallying Americans behind the war on terror, telling them the nation must not falter and leave its work unfinished.
He saluted the hundreds of thousands of U.S. servicemen deployed across the world and declared, "By bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure."
But independent analysts at the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland said that far from making the country safer, the war on terror and the invasion of Iraq had served only to aggravate the dangers. Security and terrorism are major themes of this year's World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, attended by more than 2,280 participants from 94 countries, including 31 heads of state or government.
"No, we are not safer," said Jessica Stern, lecturer in public policy at Harvard University.
"Going into Iraq in the way we did, without broad international support, really increased the ability of al Qaeda and its sympathizers to 'prove' that the objective of the United States is to humiliate the Islamic world, more than it was to liberate the Iraqi people." Gareth Evans, former Australian foreign minister and head of the International Crisis Group think-tank, said al Qaeda and its sympathizers had expanded their theater of operations since the September 11 attacks to countries including Morocco, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
President Bush said in his address "Some in this chamber, and
in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq," He then added if the
U.S. didn't react, the Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been
revealed as empty threats and would have not made Iraq a better and safer place
to live today."
"The unhappy truth is that the net result of the war on terror,
so far at least, has been more war and more terror," Evans said. Even
as Bush tells us that two thirds of the terrorist have been captured or killed
in his address to the Union.
"In Iraq, the least plausible of all the reasons for going to war -- terrorism -- has now become the most harrowing of its consequences."
Bush's reference to the energy crisis was almost non-existant considering the terrible blackout's experienced and as record cold sweeps the northern and middle regions of the U.S. President Bush did however include a one-liner on this subject...here is what he said...."Consumers and businesses need reliable supplies of energy to make our economy run, so I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our electricity system, promote conservation, and make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy".
Bush, in his speech to Congress, stressed the importance of U.S.
military action, tighter law enforcement and new security measures such as
the requirement on foreign airlines to submit passenger lists in advance to
U.S. authorities. He stressed the importance of extending the Patriot
Act...that will spy on all citizens and treat their personal data
information like "embezzlers and drug traffickers". All in the name of
security.
"Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to defend us. And one of those essential tools is the Patriot Act, which allows federal law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets.
For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists. Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year. The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens you need to renew the Patriot Act." (related stories: CAPPS II Data-Mining System Will Invade Privacy , Congress Takes Aim at USA Patriot Act, Lifelog, The Military wants to Log your Life Experiences
But participants in the Davos discussion urged
more attention be devoted to tackling underlying grievances, such as the Arab-Israeli
conflict and the unresolved dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said measures like
the detention without trial of more than 600 "enemy combatants" at Guantanamo
Bay in Cuba, had surrendered the moral high ground and provided a rallying
point for militants.
Bush said, "America is committed to keeping the world's most
dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world's most dangerous regimes."
"America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most
basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire." and
"Our aim is a democratic peace, a peace founded upon the dignity and rights
of every man and woman. America acts in this cause with friends and allies
at our side, yet we understand our special calling: This great republic will
lead the cause of freedom."
(When did the American people
vote to do this? )
Bush closed his address by appealing to the religious
current in America by saying "The momentum of freedom in our world is unmistakable, and it is not
carried forward by our power alone. We can trust in that greater power Who
guides the unfolding of the years. And in all that is to come, we can know
that His purposes are just and true."
"While undoubtedly the Bush administration is leading the war against terrorism, it -- in an odd way - has also become the chief recruiter for al Qaeda," said Mr. Roth.