Obama stakes 2nd term on ambitious reform
2013-02-13 07:17
Washington - US President Barack Obama on Tuesday wagered
his second term on an ambitious bid to strengthen America at home by reigniting
its economic engine, cutting gun murders and fixing immigration.
Focusing his State of the Union address squarely on domestic
priorities, Obama dealt in passing with churning foreign policy crises,
including North Korea's new nuclear test and Iran's unsolved nuclear
brinkmanship.
And as he ends an era of draining land wars abroad, Obama
announced plans to halve US troop numbers in Afghanistan within a year, though
vowed the global pursuit of terror suspects would go on.
Optimism
Praising American steadfastness during testing economic
times, Obama grasped for a note of optimism, while vowing to restore the middle
class.
"Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis,
and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is
stronger," Obama said, in a speech punctuated by 68 ovations, delivered
from the House of Representatives.
The address, before a huge national audience, was Obama's
best chance to sell his second term plans in a bitterly divided nation and to
stave off the domestic lame duck status all second term presidents dread.
Divided Washington must fix its gaping budget deficit, Obama
said, describing billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts due to crash
into the economy on 1 March as "a really bad idea."
He slammed Republican ideas to adjust retirement benefits
and health care for seniors as "even worse".
"A growing economy that creates good, middle-class jobs
- that must be the North Star that guides our efforts," Obama said,
seeking to turn promises of a more equitable economy made in his election
campaign into reality.
Obama's message was unapologetically tailored to a domestic
American audience, as he insisted that government investment must bankroll jobs
growth.
"He will be about revitalising the middle class and [easing]
a sense of insecurity that has swept through much of the nation," said
Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer.
Republican rebuttal
But Republicans wasted no time in trying to thwart Obama's
plans.
"President Obama? He believes ... that the economic
downturn happened because our government didn't tax enough, spend enough and
control enough," said rising star Senator Marco Rubio, giving the
Republican rebuttal speech.
"As you heard tonight, his solution to virtually every
problem we face is for Washington to tax more, borrow more and spend
more."
Obama was at his most passionate when making the case for
measures to stem gun violence, following the killings of 20 kids at a
Connecticut elementary school in December.
"If you want to vote no, that's your choice," he
cried, drawing lawmakers to their feet in an emotional tribute to victims of
gun crime.
"These proposals deserve a vote."
Looking on in the House gallery with First Lady Michelle
Obama were the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, a teenager shot in a random
shooting not far from the president's Chicago home days after she took part in
his inaugural parade.
Obama also announced the return of 34 000 of the 66 000 US
troops remaining in Afghanistan by next February, ahead of a full withdrawal in
2014.
"This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next
year, our war in Afghanistan will be over," he said.
Foreign policy
In a brief diversion abroad, Obama said North Korea's
nuclear test on Tuesday would only further its isolation, and promised to stand
by Asian allies, strengthen missile defence and lead the world in a firm
response.
Obama said "Iran must recognise that now is the time
for a diplomatic solution" to a nuclear showdown, ahead of new talks with
world powers this month.
Arguing al-Qaeda was a "shadow" of its former
self, Obama pledged to help nations like Yemen, Libya, and Somalia provide for
their own security, and help allies like France fighting extremists in Mali.
Breaking new ground, Obama announced the start of formal
talks between the United States and the European Union on a trans-Atlantic
trade pact and previewed a new plan to thwart cyber attacks on US
infrastructure.
Despite criticism he ignored the slaughter of nearly 70 000
people in Syria, Obama vowed to keep up pressure on Bashar al-Assad's regime
and said he would stand firm in defence of Israel, which he will visit next
month.
He tried to shame Congress into action on climate change.
"We can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgement
of science - and act before it's too late," Obama said.
In line with a long-time policy goal, Obama said former Cold
War foes Russia and the United States should join to further reduce nuclear
arsenals.
Domestically, Obama said he wanted a bill to reform the
broken immigration system to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship
within months.
Hitting campaign mode, Obama will travel to North Carolina,
Georgia and his hometown of Chicago to sell his speech this week.
