Just a few minutes ago we heard from Pres. Bush as he delivered the State of the Union. Normally I would be heading for a series of radio and TV interviews. This time around I've decided to try something different -- blogging my main response here on DailyKos.
I hope it's a good discussion and I want to hear what you have to say..
I'm just walking out of the House chamber on the way back to my Senate office. I am typing this on my blackberry, so forgive any typos. I've asked my staff to post this brief note firstn, and then I'll be back in my office in about 15 mins to respond directly to some of your questions.
Here are some inutial thoughts:
- The American people want change but the President still offers many of the same ideas he's been pushing for the last six years.
- Instead of a phased redeployment of US troops from Iraq, the President drew a line in the sand and defended his plan to send more American soldiers into the danger of a bloody civil war.
- Instead of a plan to make health care more affordable, the President is proposing a new health care tax on workers. His plan could actually reduce or eliminate health coverage for millions of Americans.
- I am heartened that the President is finally calling for meaningful fuel efficiency standards for cars and other vehicles and greater use of renewable fuels.
So that's a bit of what I think about President Bush's speech, but I'd love to hear your feedback as well. Please share your comments and questions below and I'll address as many of them as I can when I get back to my office. I look forward to your feedback!
-- Dick Durbin
www.DickDurbin.com
UPDATE (11:30pm ET): Thanks to all of you for your fantastic questions and comments. I'm sorry I couldn't get to everything (you all sure are prolific!), but I hope I touched on most of the subjects you were curious about. With that, I'm going to sign off and get some sleep. Thanks again for the terrific dialogue. I look forward to being back here soon! -- RJD
UPDATE (10:45pm ET): Some pix of me blogging tonight: