The President's State of the Union address was an upbeat statement of his convictions and a promise of his determination to stay the course. Of our progress in the war on terror he had this to say.
America rejects the false comfort of isolationism. We are the nation that saved liberty in Europe, and liberated death camps, and helped raise up democracies, and faced down an evil empire. Once again, we accept the call of history to deliver the oppressed and move this world toward peace. We remain on the offensive against terror networks. We have killed or captured many of their leaders -- and for the others, their day will come.
We remain on the offensive in Afghanistan, where a fine President and a National Assembly are fighting terror while building the institutions of a new democracy. We're on the offensive in Iraq, with a clear plan for victory. First, we're helping Iraqis build an inclusive government, so that old resentments will be eased and the insurgency will be marginalized.
Second, we're continuing reconstruction efforts, and helping the Iraqi government to fight corruption and build a modern economy, so all Iraqis can experience the benefits of freedom. And, third, we're striking terrorist targets while we train Iraqi forces that are increasingly capable of defeating the enemy. Iraqis are showing their courage every day, and we are proud to be their allies in the cause of freedom. (Applause.)
Our work in Iraq is difficult because our enemy is brutal. But that brutality has not stopped the dramatic progress of a new democracy. In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections. At the same time, our coalition has been relentless in shutting off terrorist infiltration, clearing out insurgent strongholds, and turning over territory to Iraqi security forces. I am confident in our plan for victory; I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people; I am confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning.
The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home. As we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels -- but those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We've adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction. Along the way, we have benefitted from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of Congress of both parties. In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and seek your good advice. Yet, there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success, and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure. (Applause.) Hindsight alone is not wisdom, and second-guessing is not a strategy.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine had the honor, or the misfortune, of responding to the President's address. In his response, the Honorable Governor went straight to the second-guessing to offer criticism that sounded quite pathetic, really.
We now know that the American people were given inaccurate information about the reasons for invading Iraq. We now know that our troops in Iraq were not given the best body armor or the best intelligence. We now know that the Administration wants to cut tens of thousands of troops from the Army Reserves and National Guardat the very time America is facing new and dangerous threats. And we now knowthe Administration wants to further reduce military and veterans' benefits.
There's a better way.
He repeated that phrase, "there's a better way," throughout his speech as if he needed to convince himself. Then he finished it off with a weak threat.
If we want to replace the division that grips our nation's capital, we need a change. Democrats are leading that reform effort, working to restore honesty and openness to our government, working to replace a culture of partisanship and cronyism with an ethic of service and results.
Our greatest need is for America to heal its partisan wounds and become one people. You know, those are the words Thomas Jefferson wrote after being elected President. They ring as true today as they did in 1800. Tonight we pray, earnestly and humbly, for that healing, and for the day when service returns again as the better way to a new national politics.
Doesn't it sound almost like blackmail? Is he promising that Democrats will continue their partisan attacks and their tantrums until the American people wise up and vote them back in power? And when a Democrat resides in the White House we can "become one people" again? Is that the message?
The President was inspiring while the Governor was pathetic. The President expressed his confidence that the American people would, as always, rise to the occasion. The Governor urged the American people to tally up their misfortunes and injuries and to demand a government that would take care of them. Pathetic.
(Emphasis above in bold is mine.)