www.washingtonpost.com
State of the Union Address
Bush Vows to Defeat Terror, Recession
美国总统的国情咨文：布什誓要击败恐怖主义

President Bush warned Congress and the nation last night that the country will long remain vulnerable to attack, as he pledged to devote the second year of his presidency to the twin goals of combating the recession at home and enemies abroad.

In his first State of the Union address, Bush laid out a justification for a longer and broader war against terrorism. He portrayed that threat with stark new details, disclosing that American forces in Afghanistan have found diagrams of U.S. nuclear power plants and that “tens of thousands of trained terrorists are still at large.” And he said that hostile nations, including North Korea, Iraq and Iran, represent “an axis of evil” that is attempting to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

Seeking support for the largest increase in defense spending in two decades, which he will request in the budget the White House is to release on Monday, Bush said: “I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer. The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons.”

Bush also used the prime-time address to outline his strategy for prodding the United States back to prosperity. He said he would strive to create opportunities for work, cushion the impact of unemployment, and foster a new ethic of volunteerism within communities across the country.

“As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economic is in recession and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers,” Bush said in a confident, but subdued tone that characterized much of his speech. “Yet the state of our union has never been stronger.”

The 48-minute speech, delivered under extraordinary security in the ornate House chamber, was uncommon for a State of the Union address. Bush spent far less time detailing a lengthy roster of domestic policy initiatives. Instead, he defined a new framework and new rationale for the foreign policy issues that have dominated the administration’s agenda during the past four months.

At the same time, the address essentially marked the opening of a third chapter in Bush’s young presidency — a chapter in which he will seek to leverage the surge of public support for his performance since the Sept. 11 attacks into the enlarged war on terrorism that he envisions and a string of domestic accomplishments.

The emphasis the president placed last night on the economy will continue with a heavy travel schedule in coming weeks.

But Bush made clear in the closing moments of his address that the external threats the nation faces that most vividly define his consciousness and his administration.

“The last time I spoke here,” he said, “I expressed the hope that life will return to normal. In some ways, it has. In others, it never will.”(Glenn Kessler, Karen De Young and Thomas E. Ricks)

globeandmail.com/national
U.S. economy’s growth defies expert forecasts
美经济不景，出专家预料

The U.S. economy, officially in recession since last March, may have suffered only a “recession-ette”. It pulled off a massive surprise in the final quarter of 2001 by growing slightly as a result of rampaging auto sales and higher government spending after Sept. 11.

cn.yahoo.com
钱其琛讲话在台岛投下“重镑炸弹”

钱其琛副总理在纪念江泽民主席“八项主张”发表7周年座谈会上的讲话，在台湾岛内引起强烈反响，媒体大肆宣传，台北股市上涨百余点，政界人士纷纷发表看法，表达发展两岸关系的希望。

讲话当天，台北各电视台作为焦点新闻反复播出有关内容。次日，台湾的主要报纸都在一版刊登消息，在其它版面刊登分析文章，多家报纸还转发了《人民日报》社论《大力推进祖国和平统一进程》的主要内容。

台湾媒体的报道和评论多集中在钱副总理讲话中的“广大民进党成员与极少数顽固的‘台独’分子是有区别的，我们欢迎他们以适当身份前来参观、访问，增进了解”等内容。

岛内政界人士纷纷应新闻界的要求发表看法。国民党主席连战表示，钱其琛的讲话“基本上是善意的态度，国民党乐观其成”。他认为台湾的大陆政策应该是有助于双方对话协商，而不是南辕北辙。

亲民党主席宋楚瑜特别提醒，对这个讲话应予重视。他说，如果台湾继续漠视大陆天翻地覆的变化，还认为对岸处在人民公社的时代，那就是错估两岸情势的发展。他希望当局“好好检讨‘三通’政策”，因为“不解决两岸关系，经贸发展也会有影响”。

民进党秘书长吴乃仁在回答记者询问时说，钱其琛的讲话“与过去有所区别”，“无论原因何在，只要能促成两岸相互来往，民进党都欢迎”，并称“双方多交流是好事”。但他在表态中仍以“中国”一词称呼大陆方面。

“陆委会”副主委陈明通则在例行记者会上表示，“乐见对岸释放出有助于两岸良性互动的讯息”。但据有关记者在“陆委会”的记者会上所见，有关当局反应谨慎，面对众多记者的提问，发言人仅以“正在解读、研判”来回答。

美绝症儿童诗集销量逾百万

美国11岁男孩Mattie Stepanek罹患不可治愈的肌肉萎缩症，这个病已经夺走了它的兄弟和姐妹的生命，但他并没有自暴自弃，反而用诗歌点燃千千万万人的生命。目前，他出版的3册诗集共售出100万本以上，连美国前总统卡特也是他的拥趸，并与他合著诗集《心歌旅程》。这里选摘Matiie Stepanek的一首诗Heavenly Greeting。

Heavenly Greeting

Dear God,
For a long time,
I have wondered about
How you will meet me
When I die and come to
Live with you in Heaven.
I know You reach out
Your hand to welcome
Your people into Your home,
But I never knew if You
Reached out Your right hand,
Or if You
Reached out Your left hand.
But now I don’t have to
Wonder about that anymore.
I asked my mommy and
She told me that You
Reach out both of Your hands,
And welcome us with
A great big giant hug.
Wow!
I can’t wait for my hug, God.
Thank You,
And Amen.