Comments Of Senator Patrick Leahy

On The Night Of President Bush’s

Last State Of The Union Address

Monday, January 28, 2008

 

As the Bush presidency winds down, the squandered opportunities continue to pile up.  By now it is clear that the President has decided to hand off many of the nation’s biggest problems to his successor.  I am especially concerned that one of the problems that he is deferring is bringing our troops home from Iraq.  Tonight he again made clear his intention to keep Americans in the middle of that conflict and to keep sending tax dollars to Iraq on a trajectory that is headed for a trillion dollars.  

 

Last year the new Congress sought common ground with the President to act for the common good.  He has rarely accepted the offer, but it still stands.  Action to help steer our troubled economy away from deeper danger is a new opportunity for cooperation, and so far those prospects for cooperation seem encouraging.  

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