President Bush's address gave no new evidence supporting his case for a war against Iraq. All assertions he made regarding Iraq's obstruction of weapons inspections, support for the Al-Quaida international terrorist network, and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction have been made in the past and debunked by international authorities. If Bush did have new evidence, he should have presented it to the American people and the world in his public address rather than claim that Colin Powell would reveal all at a future meeting of United Nations officials.

President Bush cast the conflict between the US and Iraq as a "contest of will, perseverance, and power." We believe this is the wrong attitude to have when facing a difficult decision that will result in the loss of millions of innocent lives. It is not willpower but honesty and humility that should be the cornerstones of one's attitude towards war. The value of American lives is not greater than that of Iraqi lives. It is unacceptable to risk their innocent death to prevent the remote possibility of American lives being lost. Furthermore, a war against Iraq will increase the likelihood of terrorist retaliation.

We are not swayed by the politics of fear in this State of the Union address. President Bush made reference to an "ideology of power and domination" that has "appeared again" in our world. Like most of the phrases he used to describe Saddam Hussein, we believe this categorizes the attitude of our president. Bush arrogantly described America as being "God's gift to humanity." Like the original doctrine of manifest destiny, this statement fails to justify America's pursuit of world dominance.