Bush WARNS DEMOCRATS In Op Ed He Supposedly Wrote For Wall Street Journal

kpete

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Wed Jan-03-07 09:42 AM
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Bush WARNS DEMOCRATS In Op Ed He Supposedly Wrote For Wall Street Journal

Edited on Wed Jan-03-07 09:55 AM by kpete

President Bush pens WSJ op-ed, calls for balanced budget by 2012

Mike Sheehan
Published: Wednesday January 3, 2007

President George W. Bush has written an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal that will appear in its pages today.

In a lengthy piece intended to address the new Congress, the President cites Sep. 11, indicates his continued opposition to tax hikes, and projects a balanced federal budget by 2012.

Discussing the nation's priorities, Bush first lists "defeating the terrorists who killed thousands of innocent Americans on September 11, 2001 -- and who are working hard to attack us again." He also indicates that he will talk more about a new strategy in coming days.

.....................

Bush acknowledges an important message he took from the last election, that Americans seek an end to "pork-barrel projects that have never been reviewed or voted on by Congress." He takes a jab at Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Rep. David Obey (D-WI): " heard that message, too, and have indicated they will refrain from including additional earmarks in the continuing resolution for this fiscal year."

In closing, Bush gives a dramatic warning to the newly empowered Democrats. "If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate. If a different approach is taken, the next two years can be fruitful ones for our nation."

Excerpts from the subscription-only op-ed follow...

I believe that when America is willing to use her influence abroad, the American people are safer and the world is more secure. I believe that wealth does not come from government. It comes from the hard work of America's workers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. I believe government closest to the people is more responsive and accountable. I believe government plays an important role in helping those who can't help themselves. Yet we must always remember that when people are hurting, they need a caring person, not a government bureaucracy.

These are all common-sense principles, and they provide the basis for how I will approach governing with the new Congress. We've proved it can be done: When our nation was attacked, Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the Patriot Act and reform our intelligence agencies. When our economy was struggling, we worked together to pass tax relief that has helped our economy grow, create jobs, and raise the standard of living for the American people. When we saw that our public schools were failing our children, we came together to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, insisting on high standards, accountability and better options for parents.

...

e can help Iraq defeat the extremists inside and outside of Iraq -- and we can help provide the necessary breathing space for this young government to meet its responsibilities. If democracy fails and the extremists prevail in Iraq, America's enemies will be stronger, more lethal, and emboldened by our defeat. Leaders in both parties understand the stakes in this struggle. We now have the opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus to fight and win the war.

...

It is also a fact that our tax cuts have fueled robust economic growth and record revenues. Because revenues have grown and we've done a better job of holding the line on domestic spending, we met our goal of cutting the deficit in half three years ahead of schedule. By continuing these policies, we can balance the federal budget by 2012 while funding our priorities and making the tax cuts permanent. In early February, I will submit a budget that does exactly that. The bottom line is tax relief and spending restraint are good for the American worker, good for the American taxpayer, and good for the federal budget...

more at:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Pres._Bush_oped_Cites_911_rejects_0103.html

I especially like his claim that he can solve "complex" problems

Together, we have a chance to serve the American people by solving the complex problems that many don't expect us to tackle, let alone solve, in the partisan environment of today's Washington. To do that, however, we can't play politics as usual. Democrats will control the House and Senate, and therefore we share the responsibility for what we achieve