Comments and discussion

Some statements and claims made by George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address are worth paying more attention to.

One such statement is the one describing North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an “axis of evil” (l. 106). The metaphor creates an association between Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II and the three states.

This was the first time that George W. Bush described the three states using this strong term, and it led many commentators to see this as an explicit declaration of conflict and non-cooperation—a clear warning to these states.

We now know that under George W. Bush, the US later invaded Iraq under the suspicion that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons—a suspicion that was not confirmed and affected the credibility of Bush’s administration.

Another statement that was considered biased at the time was the one regarding affordable energy: “Good jobs also depend on reliable and affordable energy. This Congress must act to encourage conservation, promote technology, build infrastructure, and it must act to increase energy production at home so America is less dependent on foreign oil.”  (ll. 208-2011)

Many believed that this ...