Edwards Statement on President Bush's State of the Union Address
http://johnedwards.com/
"President Bush's address tonight was heavy on rhetoric,
but light on everything else. The American people said
they wanted change and what they got was more of the same -
small ideas that won't make a difference in the lives of working Americans.
They said they wanted straight talk and a vision for the future,
what they got was a rationalization for the failed policies of the past.
The next President will have to do more than just undo this President's mistakes -
the next President must offer a vision for fundamental change
that will transform America and ensure our greatness in the 21st century.
America needs leaders who will do more than propose half-measures
and baby steps; President Bush has left us a legacy of challenges
that can only be met with courage, conviction and bold change.
And that change must begin in Iraq. President Bush's decision to
adopt the McCain Doctrine and escalate the war in Iraq is terribly wrong.
There is no military solution to this civil war. Instead of
increasing the number of troops in Iraq, we should immediately
withdraw 40-50,000 troops. In order for the Iraqi people to take
responsibility for their country, we must show them that we are
serious about leaving, and the best way to do that is to
actually start leaving. Since the President refuses to change course,
Congress must use its power of the purse and block funding for an
escalation of war. Over 80,000 people from across the country have
joined me in calling on Congress to stop President Bush's misguided plan
to escalate the war. Congress has the power to stop this escalation -
they should use it.
We also need real leadership to address the health care crisis
in our country. Since President Bush took office in 2000,
the number of uninsured Americans has increased by 8 million.
While it is nice that he is finally talking about America's
health care crisis, President Bush's proposal will do little to
help working Americans, and is it unlikely to reduce the number of
uninsured because it encourages companies to drop coverage,
but does nothing to help people buy their own insurance.
President Bush's proposal offers much more help to a family making $300,000
than one making $30,000. The time for patching up our
health care system has ended. We need universal health care
in this country and we need it now.
Finally, America will never break its dependence on foreign oil
without bold leadership. After years of catering to the oil industry,
President Bush says he is finally ready to take action and curb
our dependence on foreign oil. But neither his actions nor his
proposals match his rhetoric. The President has the authority now
to raise fuel economy standards if he wants to, but the standard
has been at 27.5 miles per gallon since 1985. Under his leadership,
we are now importing 60 percent of our oil, up from 53 percent in 2000.
In order to curb our dependence on foreign oil and address global warming,
the United States needs a major investment in energy innovation,
on a scale that this President isn't talking about.
We need to ask Americans to be patriotic about something other than war
and involve everyone - government, industry, and individuals - in the solution.
Tonight, the president once again made it clear that we cannot
count on him to be honest about our challenges or offer the
bold solutions we need to meet them.
But we know that the great power of America lies in the hands
of the people of America. If we take responsibility and take action
together, we can build a nation lives up to the greatness of
America's promise."
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