2008 State of the Union Address

The 2008 State of the Union Address was a speech given by United States President George W. Bush on Monday, January 28, 2008, to a joint session of Congress. It was the last State of the Union Address of Bush's presidency. The speech was delivered on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in the United States Capitol. Sitting behind the president were the presiding officers of the United States Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney, and the United States House of Representatives, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The State of the Union Address was televised nationwide starting at 9 pm Eastern Standard Time.

Topics

The White House indicated beforehand that the President's speech would mention the following policies [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2008/initiatives/index.html 2008 State of the Union Policy Initiatives ] ] :cquote
; White House Office of Communications:
* Economy: Keeping the economy healthy
* Budget: Staying on track to a balanced budget by 2012
* Housing: Modernize Federal Housing Administration to avoid foreclosures
* National Security: Giving our national security professionals tools they need to protect America
* Iraq War: Continued progress in Iraq allows "Return on Success"
* Global War on Terror: Keeping America safe by fostering the freedom agenda
* Veterans: Supporting the nation's troops and their families
* No Child Left Behind: Plan to undergo a $300 million dollar expansion opportunity
* Education: Empowering parents with more choices for their children's education
* Free Trade: Opening new markets and expanding opportunities through free trade
* Energy: Increasing the energy security and confronting climate change
* Healthcare: Empowering Americans with affordable options for health care
* Stem cell research: Increasing federal support for ethical stem cell research
* Faith-based initiatives: Helping those in need through the faith-based and community initiatives
* Immigration: Improving border security and immigration
* Compassion: Advancing an agenda of compassion worldwide
* Disease: Protecting others from diseases such as AIDS
* Science: Requesting that Congress double federal spending on basic physical research

Democratic response

In keeping with tradition of Democrats from red states giving the response, Governor of Kansas Kathleen Sebelius delivered the Democratic response from the Governor's Mansion in Topeka. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/01/28/national/w192408S44.DTL Text of State of Union Response] : the Democratic response to the State of the Union address delivered by Kathleen Sebelius] It has been noted that she focused not on the usual Democratic rebuttal, but more so on the need to get past partisan politics to get the important legislation passed in a timely manner. She was picked by Democratic congressional leaders to make the response because of her ability to reach across partisan lines and get things done. [ [http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/465158.html Sebelius response rejects divisive politics] , Kansas City Star]

Texas state Senator Leticia Van de Putte gave the Democratic response in Spanish.cite news | author = Terrence Stutz | title = Texas Sen. Leticia Van de Putte to give Democrats' Spanish State of the Union response | date = 2008-01-28 | url = http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-vandeputte_28tex.ART.State.Edition1.37af9c2.html | publisher = The Dallas Morning News | accessdate = 2008-01-28 | quote = She will deliver the Spanish Democratic response to the president's State of the Union speech tonight; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will give the English one. Ms. Van de Putte was selected for the role by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. ]

Libertarian response

Libertarian Party Chair William Redpath issued a written response to the State of the Union on behalf of the national Libertarian Party. [ [http://www.lp.org/media/article_562.shtml The Libertarian Party's Response to the State of the Union Address] , LP web site]

Steve Kubby, a candidate for the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nomination, delivered his own "State of the Union address" via Internet video on January 25, 2008, three days before President Bush's speech. [ [http://www.kubby2008.com/node/62 State of the Union 2008] , Kubby2008.Com] Framed as a preemption rather than merely a response, [ [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/1/prweb646181.htm Libertarian Beats President Bush to the Punch on State of the Union] , PRWeb] Kubby's speech attempted to predict the themes President Bush would strike and offered Kubby's own proposals in their stead.

References

External links

* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-13.html Full Transcript - 2008 State of the Union Address] Whitehouse.gov