Politicians focus on where they are. Leaders focus on where they are going. President George W. Bush left little doubt in his State of the Union Address that his focus remains on where he is going, not where things are. The two dominant themes of his address to the Congress and the nation made this point.

The Economy. The President knows that his Administration must take immediate action to stimulate the economy. This is not because his father only served one term after some say he failed to grasp that it was the economy that drove the election. It is not because his political advisers told him the earth shattering advice that voters decide elections based on their pocketbooks. It is not because polls show that voters care about the economy. This President is focused on reviving the economy because he knows that a healthy economy is necessary to get the country to where it wants to be.

Recent changes to the Cabinet and advisors made clear that personal loyalties and previous choices will not stand in the President’s way. Coalitions with Democrats and nonpartisans have made clear that Party loyalty and partisan gain are not diversions to his goal. The components of his stimulus proposals make clear that his choices are not limited to traditional Republican or conservative solutions without regard to the chances for success.

The President has a particular destination in mind – a healthy, growing economy that creates jobs. If in 2004 America has not reached that destination, then it is likely that a new captain will be called upon to steer the ship. He understands that.

There will be bold choices made. Some will be unpopular with the American people. Some will be unpopular with the Republican Party. Some will fail. But, in the end, the test for success will be whether the economy recovers. If it does, then everyone will look at where they are and be glad that things are better. It is the essence of watershed politics. Success is determined from where things are, not from the vantage of where things were.

Iraq. The President’s actions regarding Iraq will be similarly judged. When the Israelis bombed a nuclear power plant many years ago, the world almost unanimously condemned them. Now, looking back, most are glad that they took the action to prevent a madman from achieving the first step toward getting nuclear capability.

A year from now, the world will look back. Under one scenario, Saddam Hussein will remain in power and the world will continue to wait as he inches closer to deliverable weapons of mass destruction. The world economy will have labored for a year under the cloud of possible war and further terrorist attack.

Under a different scenario, the United States and its closest allies will have removed Saddam Hussein and located and eliminated his weapons of mass destruction. The world will look back and be glad that, notwithstanding the reticence of those who would simply look the other way, America’s President stood firm on his convictions and ridded the world of an unacceptable risk. There is little doubt which future this President sees for the United States.