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The President's State of the Union address only briefly touched on issues for which conservative evangelical groups have lobbied. The more than 5,000-word speech, which took nearly an hour to deliver, spent about 500 words discussing marriage, building a "culture of life," "activist judges," the faith-based initiative, and AIDS.

President Bush said,

So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.

He then addressed bioethical issues and, obliquely, abortion. "Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life," Bush said. "I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity."

Faith-based community groups "bring hope to harsh places," the President said. He proposed an initiative to keep young men out of jails and gangs. And he urged focusing AIDS prevention efforts "on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African American men and women."

The issues the President spent most of his time on—Social Security, spreading democracy, and homeland security—have moral implications, and they are addressed in our editorial about the speech. However, evangelical political groups responded almost exclusively to the limited space the President gave to "moral values" issues.

James Dobson said Bush "was bold in his assertion that Congress must pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. … We especially appreciated that he reaffirmed his commitment to the culture of life and his refusal to back down on restoring order to the federal courts."

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, was pleased with the President's positions on marriage and judges. "President Bush is showing leadership with his support for a constitutional amendment to uphold traditional marriage and by recognizing the need to protect the institution of marriage from activist judges."

Perkins also encouraged the President to support adult stem-cell research. "I hope in the days ahead as the administration expands the culture of life, that they will educate the American people on the difference between adult and embryonic stem cells and further explain the importance of funding adult stem-cell research, which has yielded over 50 successful treatments as opposed to embryonic stem-cell research which has yet to yield a single treatment."

"President Bush made it clear that human life should be treated with dignity, from the unborn child in a late-term pregnancy to the human embryo, which is under the greatest attack. He also affirmed that ethics and morality must play a vital role in scientific advancement," said Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America's senior policy director. "From the man with the vision and courage to win liberty for the oppressed in Iraq, we hope that his vision to extend human rights to the youngest and smallest among us will come to life in the form of passing strong legislation."

George W. Bush:

• Bush attends prayer breakfast | President Bush followed his State of the Union address with prayer Thursday morning, saying that praying reminds the faithful to hear "the cry of the poor and the less fortunate." (Associated Press)

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February (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49