February 27, 2001
President Bush outlined a "new approach for governing our great country" in his first nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress (see the complete text and video). Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, similarly promised to chart a new course in his first address to Congress in 1993, saying, "Our nation needs a new direction" (see the text).
When it comes to the actual policies both presidents outlined, how different or similar were they really? Use the links in the chart below to compare Bush's statements on key policy areas to statements on the same issues from some of Clinton's State of the Union addresses :
| The Budget | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Campaigns/Elections | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 1999 |
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| Defense | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Education | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Environment | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Foreign Policy | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Health Care | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Medicare | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Role of Government | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 1996 |
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| Social Security | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
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| Taxes | Bush in 2001 | Clinton in 2000 |
