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Published January 28, 2008
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Mike Huckabee offered this reaction to President Bush's January 2008 State of the Union address.
"The President tonight gave a strong and articulate speech in which he reminded Americans of the many accomplishments of his administration. Difficult as it has been, we are making progress in Iraq and Afghanistan. All Americans should take pride in the accomplishments of our warriors, under the superb leadership of General Petraeus. We need -- and must provide for -- the strongest and most effective military in the world, to protect ourselves and our key allies. In addition, here on the homefront, we must continue our vigilance in the war on terror -- and insist on the best possible care for veterans, their spouses and their dependents -- beginning with my Veterans Bill of Rights.
"Furthermore, I applaud the President’s efforts on behalf of an economic stimulus package—it’s a valuable first step. And I hope that the Democratic leadership in Congress will cooperate with the President in a swift and responsible manner. And I applaud the President’s determination to prune back Congressional earmarks—I have long believed that we need more transparency on spending. Moreover, I agree that we must hold the line on taxes, and we must make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Furthermore, I wholeheartedly agree that those who believe that we are paying too little in taxes may contribute to the federal Treasury. This reminds me of the "Tax Me More" fund I created in Arkansas during my tenure as governor.
"We have much work to do ahead of us in the years to come: eliminating wasteful spending here at home, improving education, creating consumer-based health care, totally restructuring our tax code and abolishing the IRS, enforcing free but fair trade, and significantly boosting defense spending.
"In addition, we must make more progress to protect fundamental freedoms here at home: We must build a border security fence along our Southern border, by a date certain, using American labor and American materials. No holes, no loopholes, and no amnesty for illegals.
"And we must reaffirm Second Amendment rights, even as we redouble our efforts toward the protection of Life, from conception to natural death. To secure those vital freedoms, we must work toward a judiciary that no longer legislates from the bench, but rather, interprets the Constitution and the law.
"It is to the achievement of all these goals, and more, that I will dedicate my presidency -- a presidency that offers hope, opportunity and prosperity for all Americans."
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