Milwaukee's Daily Magazine Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

Sign in | Register now

In Politics

By OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writers

Published Jan. 29, 2008 at 5:08 a.m.

Tags: president bush, state of the union, economic growth, iraq war, surge

President Bush presented his final State of the Union address Monday night, temporarily wrestling the headlines away from the candidates that are battling to replace him.

Bush's speech, delivered in prime time on the eve of the critical Florida primary, clocked in at 53 minutes and featured numerous applause breaks from Republican legislators.

The primary focus of the speech was the economy, which appears to have replaced the Iraq War as the top concern among the electorate.

"In the long run, Americans can be confident about our economic growth," Bush said. "But in the short run, we can all see that growth is slowing."

Bush chided lawmakers for sneaking expensive special-interest projects into bills and asked them to approve his $150 billion tax rebate plan, which is designed to stimulate economic growth. Bush also called for his tax cuts to be made permanent.

"The actions of the 110th Congress will affect the security and prosperity of our nation long after this session has ended," Bush said.

Bush also talked about how the surge in Iraq has been successful and called for an international agreement on climate change.

What did you think were the highlights at lowlights of the President's speech? Use the Talkback feature to let us know.

24 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by CoolerKing on Jan. 30, 2008 at 7:56 a.m. (report)

mkelover-Funny, but I don't recall stating whether I was a Democrat or a Republican but since you took issue with my statement I guess I'll explain myself: I weigh out the issues and what's important to me. If a presidential candidate has the same concerns as I do, no matter what party they represent, that's where my vote goes. Carter was a nice enough guy, but he had no good plans to make us less reliant on foreign oil (I'm old enough to remember gas lines and stations out of gas) and taxed us to death trying to boost Social Security. So I voted for Reagan. He had an economic plan and put things back on track. Bush Sr. did OK in world affairs but we ended up in another recession with him discounting Reagan's economic policies. I actually wanted to vote for Perot, but he talked like a crazy man (good businessman however). Guess the point I'm making is I'm not persuaded by negative ad campaigns or a candidate verbally slamming the other party. I look for the positives and if they've done anything good that would affect my way of life. I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for yet, I'm still doing my research. For the record, Warren G. Harding is considered the worst president in history. There was a lot of corruption during his term.

---

Posted by Absopo on Jan. 30, 2008 at 12:43 a.m. (report)

Most of Bush's presidency has consisted of media hype over supposed scandals that were actually just tools of Democrats trying to make Bush look as sleazy as Clinton was. They have spent 8 years accomplishing nothing in Washington except trying to convince us that Bush is evil, incompetent and dishonest, and we should never vote for another Republican. I reality history will be kind to him, Dems and the media claimed Reagan was an idiot at the time, but he has been treated well by history so far. Bush will be remembered for handling 9/11 well, having unwavering resolve in the face of opposition from both parties, keeping us terrorist attack free for the remainder of his term in office, and the creation of several new words. He is really not as bad as people say he is, and I never thought Clinton was either.

---

Posted by mkelover on Jan. 29, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. (report)

So you didn't vote for Bush in 2000 because he didn't have experience in world affairs...yet I'm guessing you'd vote for Obama now even though he has no experience in world affairs or any real business experience. And again, I'm GUESSING that you may vote for Obama based on your comments.

---

Posted by CoolerKing on Jan. 29, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. (report)

Bush pretty much delivered what was predicted in that speech. I don't hate the guy, but wasn't pleased with his performance over the two terms...well, actually Congress's performance until the shift occured. Unfortunately, Congress got fat and bloated and will only be remembered for passing the Patriot Act. Myself, I didn't vote for Bush during the first election for two reasons: I felt he lacked experience in world affairs and also felt he was a poor businessman. I'd prefer my president to at least be good with money. And please, don't compare him to Reagan (originally a Democrat in the 60's). At least Reagan's supply side economic policies worked.

---

Posted by mitchgat on Jan. 29, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. (report)

Suggested Reading for those who wonder how we got here and why it will be difficult to fix the problems: Robert Bly's "Sibling Society" This explains, quite clearly I think, exactly why we've collectively become a nation of whiners who "want it our way" or else I'll tell on you! I bought the book over 10 years ago when it 1st came out and didn't read it until last year. It describes my generation ... I'm 38. Thanks arks00! Yes, we may be in for more of a media circus... I shudder at the thought of it!

---

Show me the other 19 Talkbacks

Dining | Bars | Music | Movies | Sports | Entertainment | Marketplace | Family | Politics | Milwaukee Buzz
Visitors Guide | Hotels | Events | Weather | Scoops | Postcards | MyOMC | Readers Blogs | Message Boards
E-mail Newsletters | Text Headlines | Terms of Service | Help | Advertising Info | Feedback | About Us
Contact Us | RSS | Privacy Statement