President George W. Bush said America must reduce its dependency on foreign oil and continue its presence in the Middle East in his State of the Union Address, which elicited mixed reactions from the AU community.
"America is addicted to oil," Bush said on Tuesday. He stated that America must invest in new technology, such as ethanol and hydrogen power, in order to "replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."
While both Democrats and Republicans support renewable energy, many Democrats wondered why Bush took so long to support green technology.
"Where has he been for the past five years?" said Alan Lichtman, an AU history professor and Democratic Congressional candidate for Maryland. "He's been an obstacle for reform because the administration has been tied to Exxon and oil companies."
Bush also discussed the U.S. involvement in the Middle East, focusing on Iraq and Afghanistan and also on supporting democracy in Palestine and Iran.
"The United States of America supports democratic reform across the broader Middle East," Bush said. "The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels - but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C."
President Bush thanked the military for its service, taking a moment to recognize the family of Staff Sgt. Dan Clay, who was killed in Iraq last month.
"His rhetoric about the military especially resonated," said Genevieve Frye, director of the Kennedy Political Union. "He has so much to say about Iraq, so much to say about Sept. 11, Afghanistan, but sometimes, he doesn't say enough ... I'm really proud of how he thanked them tonight."
Others felt the speech was too vague and failed to provide new leadership.
Lichtman touted Bush's repetition of his foreign policy and his "unimaginative domestic initiatives."
"It was a speech that for the most part could have been given at any point during the last three years," Lichtman said.
"I thought the speech was kind of vague in comparison with last year," said Ashley Mushnick, President of College Democrats. "This vagueness is a political tactic."
"Support for freedom, support for independence from Middle Eastern oil-they're things you can't really argue against," Mushnick said.
Some AU Republicans felt Bush painted a broad, positive picture of the country that was refreshing to see.
"I really liked the statistics he gave," said Elizabeth Supple, a freshman in SPA. "The news gives an image that isn't always correct. It's nice to hear something positive."
Frye said she felt Bush's ideas were achievable and would benefit a lot of Americans.
"I was impressed that Bush still retained some elements of his original compassionate conservatism," said Jong Eun Lee, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Many Democrats said Bush failed to address key issues such as the debate over presidential power and lobbying reforms. Donald Reinhard, College Democrats treasurer, said much was left unanswered, especially concerning wiretapping. However, he said he remained hopeful that the address will "bring about more citizen involvement and questioning."
Last year, Bush's State of the Union focused heavily on reforming domestic issues like Medicaid and Social Security. Bush did not provide detailed plans for his vision on these issues, but instead asked Congress to create a commission that would examine how to deal with the baby boomer generation.
"We need to put aside partisan politics and work together and get this problem solved," Bush said.
