State of the Union Reaction

So, what ya think?

It was the President's sixth State of the Union address, but the first in front of a Democrat-controlled Congress.

After a warm gesture to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to start, Bush dove into his domestic agenda before making his case on Iraq.

The following are reactions I've received from Missouri's Congressional Delegation on the speech:

Rep. Roy Blunt (R)

“Tonight’s State of the Union address was a first for this presidency. Delivered to a new Congress controlled by the other party, the president’s speech appropriately acknowledged our new collective responsibility to work together, across the aisle, to find common ground to achieve big things for the American people. On healthcare, energy, and fiscal discipline, the president outlined bold, responsible policies to improve the lives of millions of Americans.

“President Bush was innovative and aggressive in addressing the critical issue of energy independence, one of the most important challenges facing our nation today. It is a matter of homeland security, environmental security, and common sense, and, while we may not all agree on how to achieve energy independence, the president has appropriately kicked off the discussion with big ideas worthy of debate.

“Through encouraging conservation and renewable energy sources, President Bush will put the United States on a path toward freedom from the threat of hostile regimes from whom we purchase energy and toward more certainty in our energy supply, which will provide economic security, as well.

“I was pleased to hear the president address the war in Iraq in the context of the Global War on Terror, reminding each of us of the primary role of government – protecting the United States of America. The president is committed to this goal and to success in Iraq, and we must support him, and our men in women in uniform, as they pursue that critical objective.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D)

"There were some things in the President’s speech that were music to my ears, certainly his focus on energy independence. He will get a lot of cooperation in a bipartisan way to move this country to true energy independence so that we’re relying on our farmers and on our wind, on our solar energy and technology like hydrogen cells, as opposed to foreign oil."

"Unfortunately, during his administration our dependency on foreign oil has grown. It has not shrunk. But certainly we’ll be working with the President in the closing months of his administration to do everything we can to change that course in America towards energy independence."

"Obviously, many of us object to the President’s plan in Iraq. I think that the Iraqi government has not demonstrated its political will or its ability to do its part and by propping them up as they wobble we’re continuing to send a message that we will do it for them when everyone realized that it will take a political solution from the Iraqi people to bring security to that nation."

"Probably the part of the President’s speech that was most encouraging was his recognition of the health care crisis in this country. Although, I disagree that the way we attack the health care crisis is by taxing the middle class."

"We should not be looking to the middle class, the workers in America to be funding health insurance for the almost 50 million Americans that don’t have it. We certainly should not be looking at community health centers or community based hospitals which also could possibly suffer a cut under the President’s plan."

"Instead, we should be looking at the tax cuts that he put in place for the wealthiest of all in our nation. We must begin to look at those tax cuts as a possible way to begin to turn the corner on the looming crisis of uninsured in this country when it comes to basic health needs."

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R)
"I'm sure this was a difficult speech for the president to give. With a Republican administration and a Democratic Congress, consensus and commonsense legislation are in high demand. It is long past time for folks in Washington to look past their partisan differences and settle on an agenda that benefits the American people."

"I share the opinion that attacking the problem of the 47 million uninsured Americans should be a high priority for the president and the Congress. The president has taken an important first step in recognizing the public good of widespread participation in insurance plans. We must stop imposing the enormous costs to our health care system of unnecessary emergency room visits and untreated illnesses that become major medical catastrophes. The accessibility of preventative health care and coverage for children depend on access to insurance. A solution to this problem must not, however, reduce the number of health insurance choices available to the American people, nor should it encourage Americans already with health insurance to reduce their level of coverage."

"I commend the president on his insistence that America pursue alternative sources of energy. We have tremendous opportunities to produce cost-effective renewable fuels to offset American consumption of foreign oil, which continues to be a national security concern for the U.S. We must encourage the research and development of new means of production for clean, renewable, alternative fuels. It is far better to grow fuel in our fields than to continue importing oil from countries that hate us."