State of the Union Reader

For the first time in his second term (and his first time as a legitimately elected president), George W. Bush will deliver his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation tonight.

Bush's State of the Union addresses are often used to unveil important themes - remember the Axis of Evil? They also often advance very dubious claims - remember the Niger yellowcake?

Accordingly, I have compiled a companion for anybody planning on watching the State of the Union address tonight, from liberals to conservatives; from Democrats to Republicans. As United States citizens, we all deserve truth and accountability from our elected leaders, and hopefully this column will point you towards questions that need to be asked when Bush outlines his grand vision for our country.

Troop Support

Bush will likely propose higher death benefits for the families of soldiers killed in battle, and he will cite the need to support our troops and their families.

• Why isn't more money being spent on armor and other forms of protection for the troops, as they have vocally requested? This would reduce troop deaths, which seems to be the first step before worrying about compensation after they are dead.


• Forces are already stretched thin, and it is mostly a volunteer Army in Iraq - people who signed up for the National Reserves and went from one weekend a month to being stationed in Fallujah. When can they expect some backup?

Social Security

Bush will pitch for the privatization of this government service for the retired, citing a "crisis" that will make the system bankrupt in the near future.

• The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that with no changes whatsoever, the Social Security system won't run into trouble until 2052, and that's using pessimistic economic predictions - under Bush's own appraisal of the economic impact of his tax cuts, the system will never run into trouble. What's the crisis?


• Even when the system does run into trouble around 2052, it will only have to cut 25 percent of the benefits paid, which is less than private accounts would cut them. Why is privatization superior?


• Bush will likely cite the fact that the system cheats blacks, because on average they die much earlier than whites and thus miss out on the benefits. Why is he only aware of black mortality rates now, and why isn't he concerned about fixing the root cause of that problem?

Iraq

Bush will no doubt hail the success of the recent Iraqi elections, and say we have "turned a corner."

• We have "turned a corner" five times now - after the fall of Baghdad, the "mission accomplished" speech, the capture of Saddam, and the transfer of power. The violence in Iraq has only increased after these events - why will the elections be different?


• What exactly is our exit strategy? Nobody on the ground in Iraq or here at home even knows a rough plan for withdrawal. If Bush denies this is another Vietnam, then when are we getting out, and how?


• Large portions of the country were unable to vote, and Sunnis will be largely under-represented in the new government. Is this truly democratic? What can we do about it?

Iran and spreading freedom

Bush will likely recycle much of his "spreading freedom and democracy" rhetoric from his inaugural address. He will talk of the nuclear threat posed by Iran and North Korea, but insist the problem can be dealt with diplomatically.

• If Bush truly believes diplomacy is the answer in Iran, why does he have special forces already inside the country scouting out potential targets?


• If Bush believes diplomacy is the answer in Iran, why has the United States refused to participate in the ongoing discussions between Europe and Iran, thus neutering the negotiations?


• If our goal is ending tyranny in every corner of the world, why do we continue to have relationships with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and many other countries that are cruelly un-democratic?


• Free countries do not torture prisoners or keep them confined without either revealing who the prisoners are or giving them access to lawyers or a court system. Why is the United States practicing this affront to freedom?

These are not partisan questions - they are questions that naturally and reasonably arise from the statements Bush makes. Let's see how many he answers.