Democratic response to the State of the Union: An agenda of hope which will fall on deaf ears

Last evening, George W. Bush delivered his last annual State of the Union address.

It was basically more of the same old song and dance, same spin, same head-in-the-sand jargon, same scare mongering, same insults to our intelligence.

But Congress clapped, because applause is customary.

I could only shake my head.

But my disgust turned to cautious hope when Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius delivered the Democratic Party's response.

Some excerpts:

We know that we are stronger as a nation when our people have access to the highest-quality, most-affordable health care. When our businesses can compete in the global marketplace without the burden of rising health care costs here at home.

We know that caring for our children, so they have a healthy and better start in life, is what grown-ups do. Governors in both parties, and a large majority of the Congress are ready, right now, to provide health care to 10 million American children, as a first step in overhauling our health care system.

Join us, Mr. President, sign the bill and let's get to work.

[...]

You and I -- stand ready -- ready to protect our environment for future generations, and stay economically competitive. Mayors have committed their cities to going green; governors have joined together, leading efforts for energy security and independence; and the majority in Congress is ready to tackle the challenge of reducing global warming and creating a new energy future for America.

So we ask you, Mr. President, will you join us? It's time to get to work.

Here in the heartland, we honor and respect military service. We appreciate the enormous sacrifices made by soldiers and their families.

As governor of Kansas, I am the commander in chief of our National Guard. Over the past five years, I have seen thousands of soldiers deployed from Kansas. I've visited our troops in Iraq, attended funerals and comforted families and seen the impact at home of the war being waged.

We stand ready in the heartland and across this country, to join forces with peace-loving nations across the globe and to fight the war against terrorists, wherever they may strike. But our capable and dedicated soldiers can't solve the political disputes where they are, and can't focus on the real enemies elsewhere.

The new Democratic majority of Congress and the vast majority of Americans are ready -- ready to chart a new course. If more Republicans in Congress stand with us this year, we won't have to wait for a new President to restore America's role in the world, and fight a more effective war on terror.

The last five years have cost us dearly -- in lives lost, in thousands of wounded warriors whose futures may never be the same, in challenges not met here at home because our resources were committed elsewhere. America's foreign policy has left us with fewer allies and more enemies.

Join us, Mr. President, and working together with Congress to make tough, smart decisions, we will regain our standing in the world and protect our people and our interests.

>> Click here to read the full text of the response or watch the video.

Governor Sebelius makes a lot of sense, but it will take more than her polite invitations for George W. Bush to abandon his oily agenda and do what's right for America.

To George W. Bush, "bipartisanship" means both parties doing things his way.