WASHINGTON – President Bush last night told the nation that Iraq “showed the world” by defying terrorists to vote last Sunday – and said that sets the stage for getting Iraqis ready to defend themselves so U.S. troops can come home.
Bush said spreading freedom around the world is vital to keep America safe and let its children grow up with “freedom from fear” – a phrase borrowed from one of the most beloved Democratic presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty – as they showed the world last Sunday,” the president said in his annual State of the Union speech, according to excerpts provided by the White House.
“The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. We will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces – forces with skilled officers and an effective command structure.”
Bush has refused to set a timetable for withdrawing the roughly 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, saying that just invites terrorists to wait until they leave – but has stressed that training Iraqis to take over is the key.
Bush also renewed his support for a Middle East peace push as he sends Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region – and said a Palestinian state is now “within reach” after elections to replace the late Yasser Arafat.
“The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach and America will help them achieve that goal,” Bush said.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan earlier hailed plans for a Mideast peace summit next week between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in Egypt and called it “an encouraging step.”
Bush also outlined an aggressive domestic agenda including dramatic changes in the beloved Social Security program, warning it “is headed for bankruptcy” unless changes are made.
Bush’s plan calls for no changes affecting anyone aged 55 and above – but would create new personal investment accounts for younger workers and cut their guaranteed benefits, though he didn’t provide specifics on the cuts.
Democrats insist Bush’s plan is going nowhere – polls suggest younger workers like the idea but older workers are wary.
Now that the Iraqis and Palestinians are the only Arab nations to have held free elections, Bush also gave a gentle nudge to Arab allies that don’t have full democracy, telling them to do more.
“To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom,” he said.
Boosted by the Iraqi elections, Bush renewed the theme of his inaugural speech two weeks ago – that spreading freedom is the only way to keep America safe in the age of terror symbolized by the 9/11 attacks that changed his presidency.
“In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror and replace hatred with hope is the force of human freedom,” Bush said.
He added that today’s leaders have a responsibility to pass on “an America that is safe from danger and protected by peace” so that children can grow up in safety.
“We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy – and chief among them is freedom from fear,” he said, echoing Roosevelt.
Bush also pledged to keep faith with troops standing at the front lines of freedom and pledged to “give them the tools for victory.”
Bush has urged Congress to provide an extra $80 billion for the war in Iraq, which costs an estimated $1 billion a week.
The president offered another olive branch to European allies who split with America over the Iraq war as he prepared to head for Europe in a few weeks, pledging to create “coalitions” against terror.
“In the next four years, my administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time,” he said.
Even before the speech, Bush aides unveiled plans to boost death payments to soldiers killed in combat zones from the current $12,420 to $250,000.
The payments will be retroactive to the Afghanistan war that toppled the Taliban in retaliation for their provision of training grounds and shelter to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda thugs behind the 9/11 attacks.
On the domestic front, Bush is also calling for immigration reform and for medical-malpractice reform to cut the huge trial awards that he claims are driving doctors out of practice.
For the full text of President Bush’s State of the Union address, go to http://www.nypost.com.
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‘We will succeed because Iraqi people value their own liberty, as they showed the world last Sunday.’