WAND Executive Director Susan Shaer offers some reactions to the 2005 State of the Union address | February 3, 2005

Let the debate begin

Finding an emotional core: What speaks to you?

If you found yourself becoming emotional during the President's State of the Union speech, you were not alone. I was moved by the images of the free elections in Iraq. No matter how you feel about the war, it was difficult not to be touched by the sight of the Iraqi woman and the dead soldier's mother hugging each other.

But that was not the only time I was touched. There was also the quick, but deft, announcement that there will be massive cuts in domestic spending. No specifics, just simple resolve. The President stated he would keep the growth of discretionary spending below inflation -- except in the defense budget, which continues to balloon. He said 150 domestic programs will be cut; they're under-performing, so they must go. No plan to fix them; they will just go.

This brought other images crowding to mind: Alaskan wilderness open to drilling; local fire departments lacking basic equipment; literacy programs dropped; elderly denied meals on wheels; and much more.

You would think our economy is strapped, our tax revenues stretched to breaking. But the President made clear that he will fight for permanent tax cuts -- even as he gives up on these programs. In the next few days and hours, we will hear more about those programs. And it will be hard to save them; it will be hard to find a critical mass of people who will fight for their needs. Again, we must turn to Congress to stand up for what is right.

I was disappointed last night when the President did not give us a plan for ending this war.

The Iraqis have shown that they are brave and resilient. They have voted and want to reclaim their country. It's time to figure out how this can be done. No one imagines we can just pack up and leave in one day. But having a deadline will be better for the Iraqis; it will enable them to imagine a country free of occupying troops. And it will give our military men and women hope.

The reconstruction and building of this democracy is complicated, and the time for greater international support is now. A phased withdrawal of U.S. troops must be accompanied by greater international involvement and accelerated international financial investment. The President did mention our allies' assistance; now we need to assure them that there is a timetable for withdrawal.

We also need to explain how we will train Iraqis to manage their own security, and forge an agreement with the new government to describe command and control issues. We must state clearly that we do not have the intention of endless occupation with military bases.

During the 2004 campaign, both George Bush and John Kerry stated that the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists was the most pressing issue facing the country. Last night, President Bush did not once mention this vital threat.

The President did mention terror and terrorism over and over; what most people fear is the "loose nuke" or "mini nuke" in a briefcase or van. He did not mention nuclear weapons in this vein at all. The Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty will be reviewed at the United Nations in May, but President Bush did not mention it.

It was no surprise that he did not tell his worldwide audience that he wants to make more nuclear weapons; in fact he has a policy that states the U.S. has the right to first use of our nuclear weapons. The administration has a stated desire to produce new "bunker buster" nuclear weapons. In FY05, the money for these weapons of mass destruction was voted down in the omnibus budget; but Rumsfeld has already noted that he will request that money again in the President's FY06 proposed federal budget (to be sent to Congress on February 7).

At WAND, we challenge and promote alternatives to militarism and violence as the solution to conflict. At the same time, we strongly support our military men and women who serve. In our eyes, these are not conflicting values: we are a community, and we must take care of each other. We are also a global community, and we must work within this one world to take care of each other.

We must be always watching to see that our country, and our world, allocates its resources to what truly matters: Education. Health care. Children and the elderly. Peace and security. Genuine freedom.

This is not a time to send out tax rebates like greeting cards. It is not a time to funnel upwards of $200 billion on a war that is seemingly without end, while cutting vital domestic programs. It is not a time to research, develop, and produce a deadly new strain of nuclear weapons.

It is, rather, a time to renew our commitment to each other, and to the world. To find a path to prosperity; to lasting peace; and to security. It is a time to be creative, generous, and intelligent about our future.

We will be probing about the priorities outlined in this declaration of intent by our President. It takes shape as a doctrine that says we will force freedom on the countries we choose to make democratic -- at any price. We must care about the price, in lives and in dollars.

Let the debate begin.

Full transcript of the State of the Union address: click here.

Transcript of the response from the Democrats: click here.

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