George W. Bush: Second State of the Union Address

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

In the Second State of the Union Address, Bush identifies Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as members of an “axis of evil” that threatened world peace, and he promises to take preemptive action to prevent terrorist strikes against the United States. The president reminds the nation of the accomplishments made since the attacks of September 11, 2001, including the overthrow of the Taliban regime and the installation of a pro-Western, democratic government in Afghanistan. He pledges that the United States will continue to be a partner in Afghanistan's transition. The president also discusses the continuing threat posed to the United States and other nations by global terrorism and highlights some of the operations that the nation and its allies were undertaking to counter the danger. While Bush trumpets cooperative U.S. efforts, he also declares that “some governments will be timid in the face of terror” and that the United States would undertake unilateral action if those regimes did not take steps to destroy terrorist networks.

Bush then discourses for some time on the dangers posed by Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. He notes that each of the three had a history of pursuing weapons of mass destruction. He accuses North Korea of attempting to gain such weapons “while starving its citizens.” Iran and Iraq are likewise accused of endeavoring to acquire such weapons and of supporting international terrorism. Bush also notes that the regime in Iraq had defied weapons inspections by the United Nations and had used chemical weapons against its own people.

In the next section of the speech, Bush speaks of the efforts undertaken by the United States to work with other countries to deter terrorism, but he again raises the possibility of unilateral American action to prevent terrorist attacks. The president states, “I will not wait on events, while dangers gather.” Bush warns the American people that the war on terror was not expected to be a quick or short campaign. Instead, it would be an ongoing struggle that would likely not be finished during his presidency. Bush reminds Americans that the nation was no longer protected by the “vast oceans,” such that only better domestic and foreign security policies could ameliorate the threat of international terrorism. He discusses the changes in national security policy and the increased spending on homeland security that had been implemented since the 2001 attacks. The president assures Americans that the government would spend whatever would be needed to improve security and protect the nation's interests and the lives of its citizens; he points out that his defense budget contained the largest increase in more than twenty years. Bush contends that some alterations in homeland security policy would have multiple benefits. For instance, enhanced border security would not only deter terrorists but would also constrain the import of illicit drugs. Bush concludes his address by speaking about the character of the American people. He dismisses contentions that Americans were self-centered or materialistic, instead arguing that the 2001 attacks had brought out the “true character” of the nation and that Americans had “responded magnificently, with courage and compassion, strength and resolve.”

The “axis of evil” speech was delivered at a time when Bush enjoyed extraordinarily high levels of public support. The address was frequently interrupted by applause and was one of the most widely viewed State of the Union addresses in American history. Over the next year, the Bush administration drew ever closer to war with Iraq. In September 2002 the administration issued its updated version of The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, which codified the nation's new security priorities and polices and formally embraced the preemption doctrine as a means to countering immediate threats to the United States. The preemption strategy came to be known as the Bush Doctrine. In October 2002, Congress voted overwhelmingly to allow Bush to use force against Iraq; the vote in the House was 296 in favor to 133 opposed, while the Senate voted seventy-seven to twenty-three. That November, positive public perceptions of Bush's leadership in the war on terror led Republicans to reverse historic trends and gain seats in the midterm elections, which increased their majority in the House and allowed the president's party to regain control of the Senate.