There’s no need to panic. It’s only a politician who has kept the same position on multiple issues for over a year. Don’t worry; we can get through this together.After the State of the Union Address, many expressed frustration from President Bush expressing many of the same sentiments as he had last year. I am glad, as many of the items have not been resolved, and I applaud Bush for not giving up.

Take Bush’s call for more alternative fuels. Who says progress has not been made? How many more alternatively fueled vehicles are available today than five years ago? Steps are even being taken to decrease gas consumption in the short term, as well. General Motors is converting its plant in Arlington and dedicating it solely to the manufacturing of hybrid vehicles. There is even talk among some of the major American automobile manufacturers about collaborating on the manufacturing computer chips to defray the costs of providing hybrid cars and trucks to consumers. And all without direct government involvement. Wow.

Social Security: This is a subject that infuriates me because of the hard-headed political extremists on both sides. I won’t even pretend that I have an inkling of a clue of how to solve it, but that’s why I elect others in whom I have faith that they can solve this problem. It is horrendous that the Democrats stood and applauded (again, in case you missed that) when Bush announced how his own attempt in helping to solve this was ineffective.

The issue of Social Security, I believe, was one of the most important issues included in the State of the Union because that’s what it concerns: the state of the Union, albeit a little further in the future. Bush could not allow this enormous issue to float to the back just because the reform has failed for a year. Would you propose that Texas legislature should give up figuring out how to fund public schools since it has failed for more than a year? I didn’t think so.

Finally, one of largest sore spots for the nation is the war in Iraq. I am glad that our troops are being pulled out of that region, and I support the decision to pull them out slowly, for reasons of safety and stability. Again, I applaud Bush for not changing the reasons Americans should be concerned and supportive of operations in the Middle East. The reasons that he believes we, as a country, should support our troops should not change just because the country is offended, or disagrees.

Well done, Bush, for taking a stance and sticking with it.

Claire Boecking is a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Bedford.