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Legislative Action Message: January 29, 2008

Action: What's the State of the Union?

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What did you think of President Bush's final report to Congress on the state of the nation?

When we compared notes this morning, we found a variety of reactions to the president's speech here at FCNL, ranging from the creative (a limerick), to the outraged, to the disappointed, to those who found a few points of light. Check out some of our reactions on The Quakers' Colonel, where we've been guest blogging about the state of the union, and leave your comments to let us know what you think.

We hope you'll also share your reactions to the speech and your perspective on the state of the union with others in your community by writing a letter to the editor. On our website, you can find a few talking points to get started with your letter and send your letter directly to your local newspaper.

Here's one point you might want to raise that the president didn't mention in his speech, which mostly focused on war, threats of war, and the economy. Just before he delivered the state of the union, the president took a red pen and crossed out a ban on permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq before signing the military authorization bill!

For years now the president has insisted the U.S. has no intention of building permanent bases in Iraq. Congress has repeatedly passed legislation, which the president has signed, prohibiting the U.S. from building permanent military bases in Iraq. The president's decision this week to cross out the ban implies he plans to lock his successor into a long-term occupation of Iraq. In the coming months, we at FCNL will be working with you to reinstate the ban on permanent bases.

Here's a summary of the reactions to the president's speech:

• Joe Volk said the president missed the boat, missing the basic truth that our house of democracy is falling down.
  
• Ruth Flower wondered how we can review the state of the union without mentioning seven cities where child poverty is over 30 percent.
  
• Ned Stowe points out that the president treated climate change like a side show in his speech, but it's a bigger problem than al Qaeda and Iraq.
  
• Jim Fine notes that, despite his rhetoric, the president is acting like the U.S. is going to be in Iraq for a long, long time.
  
• Ann Vaughan applauded the president for keeping the crisis in Sudan in the public view, but was disturbed by the lack of any mention of diplomacy as an approach to world problems.
  
• Jim Cason saw the speech as more relaxed than in previous years, but with an underlying message consistent the president's seven year campaign to empower the executive at the expense of the power of Congress and the courts.
  
• Dan Smith, the actual Quakers' Colonel, reflects on the president's assertion that the "We believe that the most reliable guide for our country is the collective wisdom of ordinary citizens."

Contact your members of Congress through FCNL's web site.

Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Sen. ________
U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Rep. ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

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