The State Of The Union Address Bush should give in 2002

THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY

EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY JANUARY 21, 2002 9:00 PM EST

STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION

THE CAPITOL

THE PRESIDENT: MR. SPEAKER, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, FELLOW AMERICANS: FOUR MONTHS AGO, I CAME BEFORE YOU IN THIS CHAMBER TO SOOTHE A FRIGHTENED NATION IN THE EARLY HOURS OF A NEW, UNCERTAIN CENTURY. OUR HEARTS STILL ACHE, AND OUR FISTS ARE STILL RAISED. BUT TONIGHT, AMERICA'S CAUSE, AND GOOD'S TRIUMPH, ARE SECURE. MY FELLOW CITIZENS, THE STATE OF OUR UNION IS STRONG -- ALMOST AS STRONG AS MY APPROVAL RATINGS.

THE ATTACKS ON OUR NATION CHANGED ALL OF US. WE PRAY MORE AND BICKER LESS, WORRY MORE AND EARN LESS, DRINK MORE AND TRAVEL LESS. BUT NO ONE HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED MORE THAN YOUR PRESIDENT. TONIGHT, I STAND BEFORE YOU AS A NEW MAN, READY TO BUILD A NEW NATION.

OUR FIRST TASK IS TO FINISH THE JOB WE STARTED IN AFGHANISTAN, AND ROOT TERROR FROM ITS CAVE IN HEARTS AND NATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE. OUR ENEMIES MUST NEVER MISUNDERESTIMATE US AGAIN.

A YEAR AGO, I THOUGHT THE TALIBAN WAS A ROCK BAND. IT FADED SO FAST, IT MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN.

IN THE WORDS OF FLEETWOOD MAC, DON'T STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT TERROR. NOW IT'S TIME FOR AL QAEDA TO GO THE WAY OF AL D'AMATO, SO THAT YEARS WILL GO BY AND NO ONE WILL REMEMBER WHETHER IT'S STILL WITH US.

THIS IS THE LAST OF 48 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES THAT SENATOR STROM THURMOND WILL BE PRESENT TO HEAR. I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER WAY TO HONOR HIS MEMORY THAN FOR US TO AGREE UPON A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULDN'T EXPECT CIVIL RIGHTS ANY TIME SOON. THE TERRORISTS SHOULD HAVE NO DOUBT ABOUT OUR RESOLVE, AND NO ILLUSION ABOUT WHOM THEY'RE DEALING WITH. AS WE SAID DURING THE FLORIDA RECOUNT, WE WILL BRING OUR ENEMIES TO JUSTICE, OR WE WILL BRING JUSTICE TO OUR ENEMIES; WE WIN EITHER WAY.

IN THESE PAST FEW MONTHS, THE U.S. MILITARY AGAIN HAS SHOWN THAT WE CAN BEAT ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. I KNOW THAT THROUGHOUT MY CAMPAIGN, YOU HEARD ME SAY THAT THE LAST ADMINISTRATION HAD HOLLOWED OUT OUR MILITARY AND RUN OUR FORCES INTO THE GROUND. I'M GLAD OUR FIGHTING MEN TOOK THOSE WORDS IN THE SPIRIT I INTENDED, AS A PEP TALK LIKE THE ONE I GAVE THE U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM.

NO BEARD COULD SPARE AFGHANISTAN THE STING OF FREEDOM'S TERRIBLE SWIFT SWORD. NOW IT'S IRAQ'S TURN TO FEEL JUSTICE'S COLD SHOULDER. I LOVE MY PARENTS DEARLY, BUT MY MOTHER COULDN'T COOK AND MY FATHER DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FINISH THE JOB. TONIGHT, LET US SAY TO SADDAM HUSSEIN: 43 IS NOT YOUR LUCKY NUMBER.

WE WILL WORK WITH OUR ALLIES TO REBUILD THE CAVES AND CAPITALS WE DESTROYED, BECAUSE IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO DO NATION BUILDING. THE U.S. WILL BE AS DOGGED IN PURSUIT OF PEACE AS IN PROSECUTION OF WAR. WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE MID-EAST IS AS FREE OF TERROR AS THE MIDWEST. MY ADMINISTRATION HAS PROMISED TO SUPPORT A PALESTINIAN STATE, BUT IF ARAFAT DOESN'T REIN IN HAMAS, HE'LL BE LUCKY TO GET ALABAMA.

I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW THIS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES: OUR WORD IS OUR BOND. WHEN WE SIGN A TREATY, WE'LL LIVE BY IT, WHETHER WE CARE ABOUT SAVING THE WORLD FROM GLOBAL WARMING AND GERM WARFARE OR NOT. WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS, NOT LAWYERS.

WE WILL CONTINUE OUR QUEST FOR A NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, BECAUSE TODAY THE WORLD IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER. BUT WE WON'T USE THE SYSTEM UNTIL IT WORKS, WE'LL KEEP TRACK OF EVERY CENT IT COSTS, AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST NOT TO TURN RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA, CHINA, AND THE U.S. INTO A HIGH-STAKES GAME OF ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS.

OF COURSE, IT WILL DO AMERICA NO GOOD TO BE STRONG ABROAD IF WE ARE NOT SAFE AT HOME. TIME AFTER TIME, YOU'VE PATIENTLY WATCHED MY HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF TOM RIDGE PUT THE NATION ON HIGH ALERT WITHOUT EXPLANATION. ON THE WAY OVER HERE, TOM ASKED IF I WOULD PASS ALONG ANOTHER NATIONWIDE ALERT THIS EVENING.

THE OTHER DAY, I GOT A TOUCHING LETTER FROM A FOURTH-GRADE GIRL IN BILLINGS, MONTANA. ACTUALLY, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE LETTER SAID, BECAUSE THE WHITE HOUSE NOW BURNS ALL INCOMING MAIL. BUT I DO KNOW WHAT WAS IN THAT GIRL'S HEART. SHE WANTED ME TO KNOW THAT HER PRAYERS ARE WITH ME -- AND SHE WONDERED WHY EVERY TIME SHE SEES ONE OF US ON TV SHE CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT.

I WISH I COULD ASSIGN THAT LITTLE GIRL HER OWN SECRET SERVICE DETAIL. I WISH I COULD TUCK HER INTO BED EVERY NIGHT IN AN UNDISCLOSED, SECURE LOCATION. I WISH I COULD WRITE HER A COMFORTING NOTE, IF HER PARENTS WOULD LET HER NEAR THE MAIL. SO TONIGHT, LET ME SAY TO HER, AND TO AMERICANS YOUNG AND OLD WHO ARE LYING AWAKE IN TERROR: IN THE WORDS OF MONSTERS, INC., WE SCARE BECAUSE WE CARE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF MONSTERS ANY MORE. FROM NOW ON, WE'LL MAKE SURE THE MONSTERS ARE AFRAID OF YOU.

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS NOT THE ONLY MAN TO LEARN WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ALONE IN THE DARK. TONIGHT, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES, THE VICE PRESIDENT'S CHAIR BEHIND ME STANDS EMPTY. SO LET US JOIN TONIGHT AND SAY, "CHENEY, WE HARDLY KNEW YEI!"

TONIGHT I PROPOSE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO GIVE THE PRESIDENT TWO VICE PRESIDENTS, SO I CAN HAVE ONE WITH ME AT ALL TIMES. THE OTHER CAN BE KEPT IN THE NOW-VACANT SOCIAL SECURITY LOCKBOX.