This is what he said. This is what Tim Kaine said.
I missed the Democratic response to the State of the Union address - I was too busy listening to John Ziegler and blogging about Iran. But here are some excerpts:
No matter what political philosophy you hold, or what state you call home, you have a right to expect that your government can deliver results. When there's a crime or fire, you expect that police and firefighters have the tools to respond. When there's a natural disaster, you expect a well-managed response. When you send your children to school, you expect them to be prepared for success. And you have a right to expect government to be fiscally responsible, pay the bills and live within its means.
Tonight, we heard the president again call to make his tax policies permanent, despite his administration's failure to manage our staggering national debt. Over the past five years, we've gone from huge surpluses to massive deficits. No parent makes their child pay the mortgage. Why should we allow this administration to pass down the bill for its reckless spending to our children and grandchildren?
There's a better way. Two years ago in Virginia, Democrats and Republicans worked together to reform our budget. By focusing on results, we were able to keep the budget balanced, preserve Virginia's strong credit rating and protect the essential services families rely on: education, health care and law enforcement. States all across this country are doing the same thing, as the federal government falls further and further into debt....
The administration's No Child Left Behind Act is wreaking havoc on local school districts across the nation. Despite the insistence of Democrats in Congress that this program should be funded as promised, the administration has opposed that funding and is refusing to let states try innovative alternatives.
And Kaine argues that Bush does not support the troops (see my prior comments):
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 and National Guard and Reserves at the very time America is facing new and dangerous threats. And we now know the administration wants to further reduce military and veterans' benefits.
There's a better way. Working together, we must give our troops the tools they need to win the war on terror. We can do it without sacrificing the liberty we have sent our troops abroad to defend. Our support has to begin at home. That's why we in Virginia — Democrats working with Republicans — have reformed and enhanced our Department of Veterans Services to help our veterans and their family members access the benefits that they have earned. And we are working to provide state re-enlistment bonuses to honor Virginians who stay in service to commonwealth and country.
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