2004-1-23
This Steve Ember with In the News in VOA Special English.
President Bush gave his yearly
State of the Union message Tuesday. He spoke to a joint meeting of
Congress. Mister Bush's State of the Union speech marked his third
such message. The Constitution requires the president to report to
Congress "from time to time." It also says the president should
suggest measures necessary for the nation.
President Bush reported to the nation about Iraq, tax reductions
and other issues. Mister Bush spoke more about his policies than
about proposed new legislation. But he suggested a number of actions
by Congress. For example, he called for extending the USA Patriot
Act.
Congress passed the act after Islamic extremists attacked the
United States in two-thousand-one. The act increases the powers of
law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Critics say parts of the
act violate Constitutional guarantees of privacy and fair treatment
under the law.
The president praised the recent capture of ousted Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein. Mister Bush also strongly defended the
invasion of Iraq. He said that Saddam's program for weapons of mass
destruction would still be active if the United States had not
acted.
Such weapons have not been found in Iraq. But Mister Bush said
enough proof existed of activities related to the weapons to launch
an invasion. The president also answered critics who say other
nations should be more involved in Iraq. He listed nations that have
taken part in the effort.
President Bush praised his tax cuts for Americans. He urged
Congress to make the tax reductions permanent. He also praised the
Medicare health care law for older citizens. He said the new law
will help forty-million old people buy medicines ordered for them by
their doctors.
Mister Bush criticized American courts for actions supporting
marriage between people of the same sex. He appeared to be
supporting a Constitutional amendment to ban such marriages.
Democratic Party leaders in Congress presented their party's
official reaction to Mister Bush's speech. House of Representatives
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said three-million private industry
jobs were lost during Mister Bush's presidency. She also criticized
the cost of the war in Iraq, both in dollars and human lives.
Hours after his State of the Union speech, the president left
Washington to visit three states important to his re-election.
Mister Bush is the Republican Party candidate for president in
November. He is seeking a second four-year term in the White House.
Seven Democrats are competing for their party's nomination for
president. On Monday, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry won the Iowa
Caucuses. The caucuses are the first in a series of nominating
events in American states. These nominating meetings and primary
elections will choose the Democratic Party's candidate for
president.
In the News, in VOA Special English, was written by Jerilyn
Watson. This is Steve Ember.