inaugural address set out a sweeping statement about foreign affairs when he declared “it is the
policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and
institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”
1
When he touched on domestic matters, Bush reaffirmed the broad conservative theme that
reliance on government to solve problems reduces personal freedom and the way to foster
individual responsibility is to create an “ownership society” and make “...every citizen an agent
of his or her own destiny.” Bush emphasized that “Self-government relies, in the end on the
governing of the self...[and the] “edifice of character is built in families, supported by
communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon
on the Mount, the words of the Koran and the varied faiths of our people.”
2
Although his State of
the Union address devoted much more attention to domestic matters, the problems faced by
states and localities were ignored; the only mention of them was in a single sentence expressing
gratitude for the work of police, firefighters and others to make the homeland safer.
3
In both speeches Bush evoked presidents who considered the federal character of the
United States an important component of its governance. So his apparent indifference to
federalism was surprising. This inattention to federal matters is also striking when contrasted to
other recent presidents who also were state governors. However, it is important to recall Thomas
Anton’s observation that “American federalism is a supremely political institution.”
4
It is
commonplace in American politics for politicians to seek advantage for themselves and their
supporters by adopting different positions about where control of a given policy is best located.
President Bush, in successfully pushing the adoption of the No Child Left Behind Act during his
first year in office, signaled quite clearly that his Administration preferred the locus of decision-
making to be national, and furthermore, for it to be in the White House.
A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN WAR TIME
Convention