Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=01/29/03

TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

TITLE=BUSH'S SPEECH

NUMBER=6-12811

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: President Bush's State of the Union speech dealt with a number of proposals, including new H-I-V/AIDS assistance to Africa and additional tax cuts to prod the lethargic U-S economy. But the majority of attention, including that of editorial writers, was on what the president had to say about Iraq.

For some papers, Mr. Bush laid out a strong case for a military attack soon if Saddam Hussein does not disarm soon. But for others, there is still the complaint that not enough information has been made public to justify an attack right now. We get a sampling from V-O-A's _____________in today's U-S Opinion Roundup.

TEXT: The president began his remarks talking about the economy and the continuing threat of international terrorism, and he surprised some activists by setting out an expanded program of AIDS assistance to Africa.

Iraq did not come up until more than halfway through his speech when he turned his attention to the pending war over disarmament. While several of Mr. Bush's proposals are drawing editorial attention, the majority of comment is about Iraq. Take for example, The Boston Globe.

VOICE: The threat of terrorism, which dominated President Bush's State of the Union address last year, is undiminished. Two other overriding concerns are added to it this year: the stubbornly sputtering economy and the threat of war in Iraq. These are indeed "great challenges," as [Mr.] Bush said, but his speech . did a better job of portraying the problems than offering solutions.

. On Iraq . More detail is needed to convince a skeptical world that Saddam cannot be contained and that even a successful military attack would not have harmful after-effects.

TEXT: Florida's Orlando Sentinel agrees with the Globe, suggesting:

VOICE: With U-S troops massing in the Persian Gulf and consumer confidence at a nine-year-low, Americans are hungry for reassurance from their leader. And our traditional allies . are looking for a president who sounds and acts more like a seasoned statesman than the Lone Ranger. [Editors: a famous radio and TV heroic character, a retired Texas Ranger, who fought criminals in the old west]

By those standards, Mr. Bush's speech . was a success. But [he] . did better in asserting America's ability to overcome its challenges than in laying out all the best ways to do so.

TEXT: In Colorado, Denver's Rocky Mountain News sees the address as a call to arms.

VOICE: It was not billed as a war speech, but in many ways that is what President Bush's . address . turned out to be. The president announced to the world that it no longer matters what the arms inspectors in Iraq uncover or do not uncover, or what kind of reception they receive from Iraqi officials: This country will accept nothing less than the removal from power of Saddam Hussein, and soon. [As the president said] "Trusting in the sanity and restrain of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy.

TEXT: As for Tacoma's News Tribune [in Washington] the speech drove home its key point.

VOICE: The one case [Mr.] Bush has to make to the American people - the case for disarming Iraq - he made with considerable effectiveness.

TEXT: The speech resonated in Alabama, where The Birmingham News applauds:

VOICE: He was compassionate . He was conservative . He was confident . He was convincing, laying out for the world the clear and present danger Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein embodies. "The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary, he is deceiving," [Mr.] Bush said. . Not exactly comforting words, but these are not exactly comforting times. There is comfort, though, in knowing that America will get through them, as it always has gotten through tough times.

TEXT: On that assessment from The Birmingham [Alabama] News, we conclude this editorial assessment of President Bush's State of the Union speech.

NEB/ANG/RAE