The State Of Our Union

Every President since Woodrow Wilson has followed the practice of coming to Capitol Hill and reporting to Congress on the state of our union. This tradition gives the President an important opportunity to highlight the top issues before the country, as well as to offer his or her recommendations to Congress and the American people on how to best address them.

In that spirit, President George W. Bush’s speech to Congress last Tuesday was a welcome summation of the challenges facing the United States, both at home and abroad, in the aftermath of the atrocities of September 11.

Americans must understand that victory in Afghanistan does not end our war on terrorism. That war cannot end until we methodically strip terrorists of their ability to do great harm to the United States and its people. As the President reminded us Tuesday night, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists carried out the hijackings of September 11, but tens of thousands have trained in al-Qaeda camps. If we fool ourselves into believing that our war is over -- simply because of success in one battle -- then we invite terrorists to strike again.

As the President stated: “If we stop now -- leaving terror camps intact and terror states unchecked -- our sense of security would be false and temporary. History has called America and our allies to action, and it is both our responsibility and our privilege to fight freedom’s fight.”

Staying the course in the global war on terrorism also means continued vigilance in protecting Americans here at home, strengthening security at our airports and other transportation centers, and preventing terrorists from gaining unfettered access to U.S. borders. In that vein, I am particularly pleased that President Bush expressed support for many of the ideas in bipartisan legislation I have crafted with Senators Feinstein, Kennedy, and Brownback to improve border security through increased information sharing with federal agencies in a new centralized database, better monitoring of foreign nationals entering the country, and stricter oversight of the foreign student visa system.

In response to September 11, the people of our nation have worked together. It is not too much to ask that the same kind of cooperative spirit be applied to the economic and other challenges confronting Congress. As he has many times in the past, President Bush offered to work with the Democratic leadership on an economic stimulus plan to create jobs, an energy program to reduce dependence on foreign oil, and a bipartisan proposal to improve health care for all Americans. These are issues that can - and should - elicit bipartisan support in Congress.

Unfortunately, I regret to report that many in the opposition party have not shared that spirit of cooperation. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has prevented votes on an economic stimulus plan and a national energy policy -- despite support for each of these proposals by a majority in the Senate. The Daschle Democrats have even blocked nominees for key posts in the Bush administration and federal judiciary - when all of these nominees would play a role in our battle against terrorism. Instead, Senator Daschle has spent his time attacking tax relief, while his lieutenants propose repealing or delaying the tax cuts just passed by Congress. Opposing tax relief for Americans who are losing their jobs or facing economic anxiety is the wrong approach to curing our economic ills.

The next few months will be an important test of whether the opposition is willing to join the President or continues its policy of obstruction, delay and partisanship. Reasonable disagreement on issues does not have to lead to gridlock and inaction.

“September the 11th brought out the best in America, and the best in this Congress,” President Bush noted. “Now Americans deserve to have this same spirit directed toward addressing problems here at home.”

He is absolutely right.

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