January 26, 2007

Coming Together to Find Our Way Forward

By Congressman Joe Pitts

When President Bush began his recent State of the Union speech with a tribute to Nancy Pelosi, he was doing more than honoring the first woman ever to be elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

His words were an acknowledgement of the new political reality that his administration faces. In each of his previous addresses to Congress, Bush walked into a House chamber controlled by his own party.

This time, he faced newly empowered Democrat majorities, and his speech reflected this new reality.  While his policy proposals were characteristically confident and forward-looking, his manner was more humble, reflecting the need to reach out to the other side of the aisle.

The man responsible for drafting the President's past State of the Union speeches, former White House speechwriter Michael Gerson, said Bush’s speech “matched genuine outreach with ideological boldness.”

Indeed, if we are to tackle any of the major issues addressed by the President, it will require a willingness to work together.

Iraq

The war in Iraq didn’t come up until midway through the speech, but, nonetheless, it was a defining element of the President’s message.

There’s no doubt that the current level of violence in Iraq is unacceptable.  The President was frank in his acknowledgment of this reality, but resolute about achieving ultimate victory.

There is perhaps no issue that causes greater division between Republicans and Democrats in Congress than the war in Iraq.  In the coming weeks and months, Congress will carry out its legitimate oversight role on this issue, but I believe we must do so with one guiding and uniting principle: failure is not an option.

I was glad to hear the President speak with sobering clarity about the consequences that failure in Iraq would bring.  Our terrorist enemies would be dangerously emboldened, and they would control oil-rich territory from which to plan and carry out future attacks.

While fighting the war in Iraq has been costly, failure would be much costlier in the long run.

Energy Independence

Another topic addressed by the President is the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  This issue is at the intersection of foreign and domestic policy, making it relevant to all Americans.

On the one hand, it is a matter of national security.  The American way of life relies too heavily on oil supplies coming from very volatile regions of the world. 

It’s also a consumer issue.  When we are totally reliant on petroleum, and oil prices spike, every American consumer takes a hit.

The need to promote alternative energy resources is clear.  Of all the topics addressed by the President, I believe this is the one most likely to gain bipartisan support in Congress.

Health Care

One new proposal in this year’s State of the Union speech was a plan for increasing access to health insurance by leveling the playing field between employer-based insurance and other insurance options.

It’s a new approach, and has been met with considerable skepticism on Capitol Hill, especially from the Chairmen of the committees that would likely handle it. I believe it is essential that we find a way to make sure every American can get health insurance, but I want to make sure that this plan won’t ultimately result in a tax hike on American families.

These are historic times for our nation.  The challenges facing America go well beyond Iraq, energy, and health care.  Indeed, the President touched on several other topics during his speech. 

But while our challenges are many, I’m confident that we can meet them if we are willing to work together to find solutions.

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