Biden Statement on State of the Union

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. tonight made the following statement:

"Tonight, the President's State of the Union address laid out his objectives for the rest of his Administration. Obviously, the devil is in the details, whether it's about health care, homeland security or the economy.

"But I wish the President would be more direct with the American people on Iraq. Simply put, there's a stark choice between continuing to go it alone and our having to spend tens of billions more dollars, or exercising more skillful diplomacy to bring in the international community so that we can end the perception of an American occupation of Iraq.

"I also wish the President, in painting such a rosy scenario about the economy, had addressed the fact that without a job, or the threat of the loss of a job, many Americans are losing hope. The President said precious little about restoring more than 3 million lost jobs and a strong middle class.

"Lastly, cutting law enforcement again, reducing the number of cops on our streets, is counter-productive to achieving greater security. It makes no sense to have a commitment to fighting terrorism and then reduce the resources devoted to law enforcement that provides front-line defense in the everyday lives of Americans.

"Tonight is the first step in the process. I look forward to working together with the President to achieve a wise policy in Iraq, a strong homeland security policy here at home, and to improving our economy so that it can generate the jobs millions of Americans need to provide a decent life for their families."