Conn. Congressional Delegation Partisan in Response to President’s Address
By Paul Ziobro
WASHINGTON – The responses of Connecticut’s delegation to President Bush’s State of the Union speech last night fell on opposing sides of the partisan fence, with the Democratic senators faulting some of Bush’s policies and Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4th) pledging support.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), although critical of much of the speech, said that the president strengthened the case against Iraq in terms Bush had not previously used.
“I thought the president really began to make an effective case in a way he hasn’t done before as to why Saddam is a threat to the security of his neighbors in the world and why if he doesn’t disarm, the UN should lead an international effort to disarm him,” Lieberman said in a conference call with reporters following the speech.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) said in a written statement that while he commends the actions Bush has taken since the terrorist attacks, he was not yet convinced with the charges brought against Iraq.
“I commend him for speaking forcefully about Iraq in his speech, but he needs to continue to lay out in a clear, concise and concrete fashion both the specifics of the threat and our long term goals,” Dodd said.
Disagreeing with Bush’s declaration that “the course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others,” Dodd said a persuasive argument must be presented on the Iraqi issue before the United States takes unilateral action.
Shays, meanwhile, said in a statement before the address that he supported Bush’s plans on confronting a volatile situation in Iraq and in tackling downfalls in the nation’s economy.
“The President has made clear he intends to prevent Saddam Hussein from gaining access to nuclear weapons; to fight terrorism at home abroad; and to promote a bold economic plan designed to create jobs and get our economy moving again,” Shays said.
“We need to confront the challenges our country is facing, both at home and abroad, with resolve, confidence and a bipartisan spirit,” Shays said.
“I didn’t feel the energy that you would’ve expected with the State of the Union but I think it was a very measured speech and he focused on what he needed to” – on the economy and on national and international security, Shays said in an interview after the speech.
On Bush’s proposal to help solve the economic problems with his $674 billion tax cut, Lieberman said gashes in the country’s expenditures would further hamper the economy.
“He gave us more of the same stuff that hasn’t worked for two years,” Lieberman said. “About the only way that Bush’s economic policies have grown in the country is in the debt.”
Dodd also lashed out at the president’s economic package, criticizing it for not solving the immediate problems many Americans face.
“Instead of helping families gain affordable health care and good schools, the Administration is squeezing resources for students, the elderly and the uninsured to pay for a tax cut primarily for the most affluent – and doing it by digging us into a massive economic hole of national debt,” Dodd said.
Dodd said while the president spoke of a need for bipartisanship, he must show a commitment to work with both parties through his actions.
“Only then can we make progress on the many pressing and immediate challenges that lay ahead for out people and our nation,” he said.
Published in The Hour, in Connecticut.
