The death of the number one terrorist can cause any public speaker to make a topic shift, and White House aide Tim Goeglein’s speech to the Eagle Forum Collegians was no exception.
At the annual Eagle Forum Summit on Capitol Hill, Goeglein was going to address the issue of whether college students will ever get social security, but the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi prompted a few changes. He announced the good news before addressing the topic of terrorism.
“Not since WWII have we in America lived in such a dangerous time. In 1946-47, Truman was criticized and derided, but it is important to give credit to those who are right; and just as Truman was right about the goals and lethality of Communism, George W. Bush is right about the War on Terror,” said Goeglein, Special Assistant to President Bush.
Goeglein also highlighted Bush’s other successes, such as his many judicial confirmations to both the Supreme Court and to Federal and District courts, his pro-life stance, his victories in getting the U.S. out of bad treaties [ABM, Kyoto, and the International Criminal Court], and his tax cuts which will amount to $2.4 trillion over 10 years.
“I believe Bush is so hated and despised, not because of the war, but at the end of the day it is because he is a man of faith,” said Goeglein.
He then affirmed his belief that it is the youth that will “bring America back to where it needs to be.”
During Q and A, Goeglein was asked how national sovereignty can be maintained when the Security and Prosperity Partnership was signed last year. The SPP was a cooperative agreement between President Bush, President Fox of Mexico and Prime Minister Martin of Canada, but some people fear this erodes national sovereignty and paves the way for a North American Union.
Goeglein said that U. S. agents have apprehended many more illegal aliens than most accounts give them credit for. The answer according to Goeglein was 2.1 billion. He also talked about border security and the increase of the number of agents to 18,000 by 2008. That would translate to nine agents per mile, or roughly one person every 587 feet.
“This President is determined to secure our border and no one is going to determine our sovereignty,” said Goeglein.
Another question brought the discussion back to its original purpose, “Will college students get social security?”
“Yes,” said Goeglein who then explained how that will happen. The plan is partial privatization and raising the age of retirement, he said.
Goeglein also mentioned the group Students for Saving Social Security (S4), calling them “very effective” and calling on the assembled students to all join S4.
Someone else asked how President Bush can defend government expansion. “9/11,” responded Goeglein.
Julia A. Seymour is a staff writer for Accuracy in Academia.
