WASHINGTON – Vowing to break the nation’s “addiction” to foreign oil, President Bush called Tuesday for cutting oil imports from the Middle East by 75 percent over the next 20 years.
“America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world,” said Bush, a former Texas oilman, in the annual nationally televised evening address to a joint session of Congress. “The best way to break this addiction is through technology.”
That long-term energy goal was a centerpiece of a State of the Union address that combined soaring rhetoric about America’s role in the world with relatively modest policy proposals. Bush vowed to increase production of alternative fuels like ethanol, expand tax breaks for health-care expenses and train more math and science teachers.
Bowing to budget constraints and political realities, Bush laid out few ambitious goals. He essentially gave up on his plan to overhaul Social Security – his top priority in last year’s State of the Union speech – by calling for a bipartisan commission to study changes to the retirement system as part of a broader overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid.
But even as he scaled back his domestic ambitions, Bush reiterated his determination to change the world, focused on the difficult work ahead in Iraq and urged Americans to resist the temptation to turn inward.
“The road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting,” Bush said, “yet it ends in danger and decline. The only way to protect our people, the only way to secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership.”
Bush said his long-term goal is “the end of tyranny in our world” and the defeat of terrorism. He warned Iran that its support for terrorists “must come to an end” and said other nations cannot let Iran acquire nuclear weapons.
He defended his efforts to spread democracy in the Middle East, despite the troubles in Iraq and the recent victory of the terrorist group Hamas in Palestinian elections.
“Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it,” Bush said. He said Hamas “must recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace.”
Bush’s speech offered a preview of Republican themes for the upcoming elections, and Democrats responded in kind. Their official response, delivered by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, blamed Bush for the return of federal deficits, the slow response to Hurricane Katrina and some of the problems in Iraq.
“We now know that the American people were given inaccurate information about the reason for invading Iraq. We now know that our troops in Iraq were not given the best body armor or the best intelligence,” Kaine said.
Fresh justices
Bush delivered his remarks with all of the usual political theater in a chamber packed with lawmakers; top administration officials; foreign diplomats in business attire and traditional garb; and Supreme Court justices, including the court’s newest members, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito.
In keeping with recent tradition, Bush had a surprise guest in the House gallery – a dog. A 5-year-old German shepherd named Rex earned a spot in the balcony beside his military handler, Tech Sgt. Jamie Dana, who was badly injured by a roadside bomb. Dana asked the military to let her keep Rex, which took an act of Congress to grant. Congress added an amendment granting her ownership to a defense bill that passed the end of last year.
Other presidential guests included relatives of Staff Sgt. Daniel Clay, a 27-year-old Marine from Pensacola, Fla., who died in Iraq in December.
The Democrats’ guest list included Iraq war protester Cindy Sheehan, who blames Bush for the death of her son, Casey, in Iraq. Sheehan had been invited to watch the speech by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., but Sheehan was detained by police before Bush arrived, reportedly after she tried to unveil an anti-war banner.
Tribute to King
On other topics, Bush:
-Called Coretta Scott King, who died Tuesday, “a beloved, graceful and courageous woman” and paid tribute to her late husband, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Bush urged Americans to mirror King’s determination during the civil rights struggle by accepting the nation’s leadership role.
-Said areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina should be rebuilt in a way that improves lives throughout the Gulf Coast. “As we recover from a disaster,” he said, “let us also work for the day when all Americans are protected by justice, equal in hope, and rich in opportunity.”
-Touched lightly on the lobbying scandal in Congress, reminding lawmakers that “each of us has made a pledge to be worthy of public responsibility.”
-Reiterated his support for a “rational, humane guest-worker program,” accompanied by tougher enforcement of laws against illegal immigration.
-Called for expanding tax breaks for health-care expenses and letting Americans put more tax-free savings into so-called health savings accounts.
-Offered a plan to improve math and science education by offering special training to 70,000 high school teachers. Another program would recruit as many as 30,000 math and science professionals to put aside their careers and become teachers.
Bush was blunt about the need for action on oil dependence, but his proposal offered no near-term relief from high gasoline prices. The president’s plan, released a day after Exxon Mobil reported record quarterly profits of $10.7 billion, calls for a 22 percent increase in federal spending for research on ethanol, electric cars and other alternatives to fossil fuels.
He said his goal is to develop alternatives to the point where they can displace 75 percent of the oil that’s now imported from the Middle East.
Independent energy experts noted that only about one-fourth of U.S. oil imports comes directly from the Middle East, so even if Bush’s goal is met, America still would be dependent upon foreign oil imports to meet its energy needs.
Nevertheless, Bush joined a long list of presidents who have vowed over the past 32 years to end the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
“Let this be our national goal,” Nixon declared in November 1973. “At the end of this decade, in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need …”
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