During his speech to Congress and to the nation, President Bush touted the success of his tax cuts, doctrine of preemptive war and the invasion of Iraq, the Medicare prescription drug bill and the Leave no Child Behind education bill. 

However, the reality did not match the rhetoric.  

President Bush said, “The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you passed is working.”  However, only 1,000 jobs were created in December, an average of 20 new private sector jobs per state, and 2.4 million manufacturing jobs have been lost under President Bush, including 126,000 in Illinois.

President Bush also added, “For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent…”  However, according to Citizens for Tax Justice, almost 50% of Illinois families will receive less than $100 in 2004 from the latest Bush tax cut.   

Speaking about the Medicare prescription drug bill he signed late last year, President Bush said, “By strengthening Medicare and adding a prescription drug benefit, you kept a basic commitment to our seniors.”  But the new law will not lower drug prices, will privatize Medicare, and will affect up to 2.7 million seniors who could lose their current drug coverage. 

On the No Child Left Behind Act, President Bush said, “We are providing more funding for our schools.”  However, the Republican Congress has so far under funded the No Child Left Behind Act by $17 billion.

While justifying the war in Iraq, President Bush said that the United States has “…identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities.”  However, before the war, President Bush and members of his Administration did in fact state that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

And while addressing the needs of the military, President Bush declared that service men and women will receive “the resources you need to fight and win the war on terror.”  However, soldiers in Iraq, for example, did not receive enough modern body armor to ensure their safety.