State's Senators Praise Bush Address

North Carolina's Republican senators said they liked President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night, while one od the Democratic congressman was cautious in his endorsement of the president's rhetoric.

“Tonight the president addressed the nation with confidence and resolve.  I applaud his efforts to discuss issues where there is bipartisan common ground.  The American people expect the president and Congress to work together to get things done, and as the president demonstrated tonight, this requires consensus building," Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Republican said.

Dole also approved Bush's call for more border security, though she said she wants to see more details about any immigration reform. She said she was "pleased to hear the president address the issue of health care access and affordability," and she said she agreed with his energy proposals.

U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat who represents the 4th District, said Bush presented a list of high-minded goals that we all share—extending healthcare to the uninsured, expanding educational opportunities, reducing our consumption of fossil fuels, and protecting our homeland. But the President has yet to prove that he can match his rhetoric with reality."

Price added, however, that "tonight the president again demonstrated his refusal to listen to Congress and the American people's demand for a dramatic change of course" on the Iraq war.

Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, said Bush "outlined an aggressive domestic agenda as well as reiterated his strategy forward in Iraq. I was heartened to hear him talk about increasing access to affordable health care, improving fiscal responsibility, reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy and enhancing our nation’s energy security, strengthening our public schools, and passing immigration reform."

"I have always believed we must succeed in Iraq and that failure is not an option. We owe it to our troops and to the Iraqi people to remain committed to supporting a free and stable Iraq," Burr said.