Jonathan Uhles, Charger Staff
The divided spirit of the nation seems to be nothing more than a memory these
days. Just over a year ago, President Bush took office after a controversial
election, and was forced to face a divided nation. On January 29, however, he
stood before a united Congress to give his State of the Union Address and was
shadowed by the highest public approval ratings since World War II.
While the country may have been divided a year ago, the nation is standing
strong today and speaking with one voice, which is being heard around the world.
Although the memories of a divided nation have faded, those of Semptember 11
are still fresh in the mind of the American people and evidently the Executive
Branch as well. Taking quick action after the terrorist attacks on New York
and Washington D.C., the Commander-In-Chief began preparing for a war against
terrorism, and his first target was Afghanistan.
The President moved quickly to “root out the terrorist and get them running”
and “hold the governments that harbor them accountable”. As a result,
the repressive government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, crumbled, and several
Al-Queda terrorists were captured.
With one victory secured in the war against terror, the President vowed to
win the war against terrorism at home and abroad and revive the nations economy,
which seems to be slipping into recession. Presenting to Congress his vision
for the future of the war, Bush vowed to take America’s anti-terror mission
to a dozen other countries, and to three other counties, described as “an
axis of evil,” which are seeking weapons of mass destruction.
In addition, the President urged Congress to pass legislation that would increase
spending for the Department of Defense, which consumes one-fourth of the national
budget. Under the proposal, the newly appropriated funds would be divided among
programs such as homeland security, airport security, and intelligence gathering.
With much of the President’s speech being dominated by the war against
terror, he was often interrupted by boisterous applause from Congress, who plan
to continue standing “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the President, according
to House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt.
As President Bush moved to his domestic agenda, however, the cohesion of Congress began to fail. While Bush and Republicans want to stimulate the economy through generous tax cuts, the Democrats are calling for increased jobs to help the economy rebound. Although they may be standing behind the President on some issues, the Democrats obviously have their own agenda planned for the coming year. Despite Bush’s appeal for Congress to do bipartisan work for the good of the American people, it looks like the nation is headed for another year of good old fashioned partisan politics.
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