[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1976-1980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

  The PRESIDENT. Thank you very much. Tonight, I have a high privilege 
and distinct honor of my own--as the first President to begin the State 
of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker.
  In his day, the late Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., from 
Baltimore, Maryland, saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman at this 
rostrum. But nothing could compare with the sight of his only daughter, 
Nancy, presiding tonight as Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Congratulations, Madam Speaker.
  Two Members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight, and we 
pray for the recovery and speedy return of Senator Tim Johnson and 
Congressman Charlie Norwood.
  Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, Members of Congress, 
distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
  This rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour, when 
decisions are hard and courage is tested. We enter the year 2007 with 
large endeavors under way, and others that are

[[Page 1977]]

ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the 
will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies, and the 
wisdom to face them together.
  Some in this Chamber are new to the House and Senate, and I 
congratulate the Democratic majority. Congress has changed, but our 
responsibilities have not. Each of us is guided by our own convictions, 
and to these we must stay faithful. Yet we are all held to the same 
standards and called to serve the same good purposes: to extend the 
Nation's prosperity, to spend the people's money wisely, to solve 
problems, not leave them to future generations, to guard America 
against all evil, and to keep faith with those we have sent forth to 
defend us.
  We are not the first to come here with government divided and 
uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our 
differences and achieve big things for the American people. Our 
citizens don't much care which side of the aisle we sit on, as long as 
we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done. Our 
job is to make life better for our fellow Americans and help them to 
build a future of hope and opportunity, and this is the business before 
us tonight.
  A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy, and 
that is what we have. We are now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job 
growth, in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs, so far. 
Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. The 
economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way, not with 
more government but with more enterprise.
  Next week, I will deliver a full report on the state of our economy. 
Tonight, I want to discuss three economic reforms that deserve to be 
priorities for this Congress.
  First, we must balance the Federal budget. We can do so without 
raising taxes. What we need to do is impose spending discipline in 
Washington, D.C. We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009, 
and met that goal 3 years ahead of schedule. Now let us take the next 
step. In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the 
Federal deficit within the next 5 years. I ask you to make the same 
commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the 
Federal Government and balance the Federal budget.
  Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items 
are often slipped into bills at the last hour, when not even C-SPAN is 
watching. In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and 
totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks 
never make it to the floor of the House and Senate. They are dropped 
into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives 
on my desk. You did not vote them into law. I did not sign them into 
law. Yet they are treated as if they have the force of law. The time 
has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the 
budget process, expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote 
in Congress, and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half 
by the end of this session.
  Finally, to keep this economy strong we must take on the challenge of 
entitlements. Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are commitments 
of conscience, and so it is our duty to keep them permanently sound. 
Yet we are failing in that duty, and this failure will one day leave 
our children with three bad options: huge tax increases, huge deficits, 
or huge and immediate cuts in benefits. Everyone in this Chamber knows 
this to be true, yet somehow we have not found it in ourselves to act. 
So let us work together and do it now. With enough good sense and good 
will, you and I can fix Medicare and Medicaid, and save Social 
Security.
  Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public 
schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in 
life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No 
Child Left Behind Act, preserving local control, raising standards, and 
holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, 
students are performing better in reading and math, and minority 
students are closing the achievement gap.
  Now the task is to build on this success, without watering down 
standards, without taking control from local communities, and without 
back sliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement 
even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing 
schools, and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools 
the right to choose someplace better. We must increase funds for 
students who struggle, and make sure these children get the special 
help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the 
jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive, by 
strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has 
worked for America's children, and I ask Congress to reauthorize this 
good law.
  A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have 
affordable and available health care. When it comes to health care, 
government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled, and 
poor children, and we will meet those responsibilities. For all other 
Americans, private health care insurance is the best way to meet their 
needs. But many Americans cannot afford a health insurance policy.
  So tonight, I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans 
afford their own insurance. First, I propose a standard tax deduction 
for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for 
dependents. Families with health insurance will pay no income or 
payroll taxes on $15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health 
insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their 
income. With this reform, more than 100 million men, women, and 
children who are now covered by employer-provided insurance will 
benefit from lower tax bills.
  At the same time, this reform will level the playing field for those 
who do not get health insurance through their job. For Americans who 
now purchase health insurance on their own, this proposal would mean a 
substantial tax savings, $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a 
year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health 
insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health 
insurance plan within their reach. Changing the Tax Code is a vital and 
necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans.
  My second proposal is to help the States that are coming up with 
innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private 
health insurance available to all their citizens should receive Federal 
funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I 
have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with 
Congress to take existing Federal funds and use them to create 
``Affordable Choices'' grants. These grants would give our Nation's 
Governors more money and more flexibility to get private health 
insurance to those most in need.
  There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand 
health savings accounts. We need to help small businesses through 
association health plans, we need to reduce costs and medical errors 
with better information technology. We will encourage price 
transparency, and to protect good doctors from junk lawsuits we need to 
pass medical liability reform. And in all we do, we must remember that 
the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance 
companies, but by patients and their doctors.
  Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration 
system worthy of America, with laws that are fair and borders that are 
secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the 
interests of our country. To secure our border, we are doubling the 
size of the Border Patrol, and funding new infrastructure and 
technology.
  Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border 
unless we take pressure off the border, and that requires a temporary 
worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly

[[Page 1978]]

path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary 
basis. As a result, they won't have to try to sneak in, and that will 
leave border agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and 
terrorists. We will enforce our immigration laws at the work site, and 
give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, 
so there is no excuse left for violating the law. We need to uphold the 
great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new 
arrivals. We need to resolve the status of illegal immigrants who are 
already in our country, without animosity and without amnesty.
  Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. 
Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate, so that you can 
pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law.
  Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy 
that keeps America's economy running and America's environment clean. 
For too long our Nation has been dependent on foreign oil, and this 
dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to 
terrorists, who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments, and 
raise the price of oil, and do great harm to our economy.
  It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply, and 
the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the 
way America generates electric power, by even greater use of clean coal 
technology, solar and wind energy, and clean, safe nuclear power. We 
need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles 
and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must 
continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol, using 
everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes.
  We have made a lot of progress, thanks to good policies here in 
Washington and the strong response of the market. And now even more 
dramatic advances are within reach. Tonight, I ask Congress to join me 
in pursuing a great goal. Let us build on the work we have done and 
reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 
years. When we do that, we will be cutting our total imports by the 
equivalent of three-quarters of all the oil we now import from the 
Middle East.
  To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, 
by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of 
renewable and alternative fuels in 2017. And that is nearly five times 
the current target. At the same time, we need to reform and modernize 
fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks, and 
conserve up to 8\1/2\ billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017.
  Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our 
dependence on foreign oil, but it is not going to eliminate it. So as 
we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must also step up domestic 
oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. And to further 
protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask 
Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum 
Reserve.
  America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will 
enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies 
will help us become better stewards of the environment, and they will 
help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.
  A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of 
justice. The lives of our citizens across our Nation are affected by 
the outcome of cases pending in our Federal courts. We have a shared 
obligation to ensure that the Federal courts have enough judges to hear 
those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to 
nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the Federal bench. And 
the United States Senate has a duty as well, to give those nominees a 
fair hearing and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.
  For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to 
protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come 
and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that the 
terrorists can cause. We have had time to take stock of our situation. 
We have added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know 
with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a 
glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us, unless we stop them.
  With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of 
conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential 
when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has 
surely been settled, that to win the war on terror we must take the 
fight to the enemy.
  From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by 
staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable 
sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free-flowing 
communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has 
never been the same.
  Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not 
happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our 
allies have prevented, but here is some of what we do know: we stopped 
an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building 
on the west coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terrorist cell 
grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered 
an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against 
America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to 
blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean. For 
each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public 
servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping 
them.
  Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless 
ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is 
still at work in the world. And so long as that is the case, America is 
still a Nation at war.
  In the minds of the terrorists, this war began well before September 
11 and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these 
past 5 years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this 
enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by 
hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any 
principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach 
with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for 
the murder of the innocent.
  Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to 
overthrow moderate governments and establish safe havens from which to 
plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and 
terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from 
the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to 
impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to 
this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: ``We will sacrifice our 
blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is 
even worse.'' And Osama bin Laden declared: ``Death is better than 
living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us.''
  These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in 
the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become 
clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are 
just as hostile to America and are also determined to dominate the 
Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, 
which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah, a group second 
only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.
  The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same 
totalitarian threat. Whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter 
the innocent, they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill 
Americans, kill democracy in the Middle East, and gain the weapons to 
kill on an even more horrific scale.
  In the sixth year since our Nation was attacked, I wish I could 
report to you that the dangers had ended. They have not. And so it 
remains the policy of this government to use every lawful and proper 
tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military

[[Page 1979]]

action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the 
American people.
  This war is more than a clash of arms. It is a decisive ideological 
struggle, and the security of our Nation is in the balance. To prevail, 
we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 
men to get onto airplanes and to come and kill us. What every terrorist 
fears most is human freedom, societies where men and women make their 
own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes 
instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and 
malignant ideologies, and most will choose a better way when they are 
given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping 
moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great 
question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the 
Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all 
humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security, we must.
  In the last 2 years, we have seen the desire for liberty in the 
broader Middle East, and we have been sobered by the enemy's fierce 
reaction. In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised 
the banner of the Cedar Revolution. They drove out the Syrian 
occupiers, and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people 
of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic 
legislature. And in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national 
elections, choosing a transitional government, adopting the most 
progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, and then 
electing a government under that constitution. Despite endless threats 
from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came 
out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity we should never forget.
  A thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, 
and in 2006 they struck back. In Lebanon, assassins took the life of 
Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution. 
Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict 
in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately 
elected government. In Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters tried 
to regain power by regrouping and engaging Afghan and NATO forces. In 
Iraq, al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew up one of the most 
sacred places in Shia Islam, the Golden Mosque of Samarra. This 
atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to provoke 
retaliation from Iraqi Shia, and it succeeded. Radical Shia elements, 
some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The result 
was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues 
to this day.
  This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are 
in. Every one of us wishes that this war were over and won. Yet it 
would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends 
abandoned, and our own security at risk. Ladies and gentlemen, on this 
day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of 
this battle. Let us find our resolve and turn events toward victory.
  We are carrying out a new strategy in Iraq, a plan that demands more 
from Iraq's elected government and gives our forces in Iraq the 
reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a 
democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of 
its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on 
terror.
  In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi Government must 
stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet 
ready to do this on their own. So we are deploying reinforcements of 
more than 20,000 additional soldiers and marines to Iraq. The vast 
majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear 
and secure neighborhoods, and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army 
units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by 
chasing down the terrorists, insurgents, and the roaming death squads. 
And in Anbar province, where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and 
local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them, we are 
sending an additional 4,000 United States marines, with orders to find 
the terrorists and clear them out. We did not drive al Qaeda out of 
their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe 
haven in a free Iraq.
  The people of Iraq want to live in peace, and now is the time for 
their government to act. Iraq's leaders know that our commitment is not 
open ended. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to 
secure Baghdad, and they must do so. They have pledged that they will 
confront violent radicals of any faction or political party. And they 
need to follow through and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi and 
Coalition forces so these troops can achieve their mission of bringing 
security to all of the people of Baghdad. Iraq's leaders have committed 
themselves to a series of benchmarks to achieve reconciliation, to 
share oil revenues among all of Iraq's citizens, to put the wealth of 
Iraq into the rebuilding of Iraq, to allow more Iraqis to reenter their 
nation's civic life, to hold local elections, and to take 
responsibility for security in every Iraqi province. But for all of 
this to happen, Baghdad must be secured. And our plan will help the 
Iraqi Government take back its capital and make good on its 
commitments.
  My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully 
weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, 
I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance for 
success. Many in this Chamber understand that America must not fail in 
Iraq, because you understand that the consequences of failure would be 
grievous and far reaching.
  If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi 
Government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect 
an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni 
extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A 
contagion of violence could spill out across the country, and in time 
the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.
  For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the 
objective. Chaos is their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of 
chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens, 
new recruits, new resources, and an even greater determination to harm 
America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of 
September 11 and invite tragedy. And ladies and gentlemen, nothing is 
more important at this moment in our history than for America to 
succeed in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq, and to spare the 
American people from this danger.
  This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have 
spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you 
have made. We went into this largely united, in our assumptions and in 
our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for 
failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you 
to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the 
field, and those on their way.
  The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will 
continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. 
That is why it is important to work together so our Nation can see this 
great effort through. Both parties and both branches should work in 
close consultation. And this is why I propose to establish a special 
advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress 
from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position 
America to meet every challenge that confronts us. And we will show our 
enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.
  One of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of 
our military, so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the 
challenges ahead. Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase 
in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next 5 
years. A second task we can take on together is to design and establish 
a volunteer civilian reserve corps. Such a corps would function much 
like our military reserve. It

[[Page 1980]]

would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire 
civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America 
needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the 
uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.
  Americans can have confidence in the outcome of this struggle, 
because we are not in this struggle alone. We have a diplomatic 
strategy that is rallying the world to join in the fight against 
extremism. In Iraq, multinational forces are operating under a mandate 
from the United Nations, and we are working with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, 
Egypt, and the gulf states to increase support for Iraq's government. 
The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran and made it clear that 
the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear 
weapons. With the other members of the Quartet, the U.N., the European 
Union and Russia, we are pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the 
Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian 
state living side by side with Israel in peace and security. In 
Afghanistan, NATO has taken the lead in turning back the Taliban and al 
Qaeda offensive, the first time the alliance has deployed forces 
outside the North Atlantic area. Together with our partners in China, 
Japan, Russia, and South Korea, we are pursuing intensive diplomacy to 
achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. And we will 
continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, 
Belarus, and Burma, and continue to awaken the conscience of the world 
to save the people of Darfur.
  American foreign policy is more than a matter of war and diplomacy. 
Our work in the world is also based on a timeless truth: to whom much 
is given, much is required. We hear the call to take on the challenges 
of hunger and poverty and disease, and that is precisely what America 
is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the 
continent of Africa. Because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS 
Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 
50,000 to more than 800,000 in 3 short years. I ask you to continue 
funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, and I ask you to provide $1.2 
billion over 5 years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries. 
I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account so that American 
aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on 
the rise and corruption is in retreat. And let us continue to support 
the expanded trade and debt relief that are the best hope for lifting 
lives and eliminating poverty.
  When America serves others in this way, we show the strength and 
generosity of our country. These deeds reflect the character of our 
people. The greatest strength we have is the heroic kindness, courage, 
and self-sacrifice of the American people. You see this spirit often if 
you know where to look, and tonight we need only look above to the 
gallery.
  Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa amid great poverty and disease. He 
came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine, but 
Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. 
Dikembe became a star in the NBA and a citizen of the United States. 
But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his 
blessings with others. He built a brand-new hospital in his old 
hometown. A friend has said of this good hearted man: ``Mutombo 
believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things.'' 
And we are proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United 
States of America.
  After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to 
share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some 
equipment and began filming children's videos in her basement. The Baby 
Einstein Company was born, and in just 5 years her business grew to 
more than $20 million in sales. In November 2001, Julie sold Baby 
Einstein to Walt Disney Company; and with her help, Baby Einstein has 
grown into a $200 million business. Julie represents the great 
enterprising spirit of America. And she is using her success to help 
others, producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National 
Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new 
project: ``I believe it is the most important thing that I have ever 
done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is 
safe.'' And so tonight we are pleased to welcome this talented business 
entrepreneur and generous social entrepreneur, Julie Aigner-Clark.
  Three weeks ago, Wesley Autry was waiting at a Harlem subway station 
with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a 
train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the 
man into the space between the rails, and held him as the train passed 
right above their heads. He insists he is not a hero. He says: ``We got 
guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We have got 
to show each other some love.'' There is something wonderful about a 
country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autry.
  Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, 
when he enlisted in the United States Army. In December 2003, he was on 
a reconnaissance mission in Iraq when his team came under heavy enemy 
fire. From his Humvee, Sergeant Rieman returned fire. He used his body 
as a shield to protect his gunner. He was shot in the chest and arm, 
and received shrapnel wounds to his legs, yet he refused medical 
attention and stayed in the fight. He helped to repel a second attack, 
firing grenades at the enemy's position. For his exceptional courage, 
Sergeant Rieman was awarded the Silver Star. And like so many other 
Americans who have volunteered to defend us, he has earned the respect 
and the gratitude of our whole country.
  In such courage and compassion, ladies and gentlemen, we see the 
spirit and character of America, and these qualities are not in short 
supply. This is a decent and honorable country, and resilient, too. We 
have been through a lot together. We have met challenges and faced 
dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with 
confidence, because the state of our Union is strong, our cause in the 
world is right, and tonight that cause goes on. God bless.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 10 o'clock and 8 minutes p.m., the President of the United States, 
accompanied by the committee of escort, retired from the Hall of the 
House of Representatives.
  The Deputy Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests from the 
Chamber in the following order:
  The Members of the President's Cabinet; Chief Justice of the United 
States and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; the Dean of the 
Diplomatic Corps.

                          ____________________