The 2008 State of the Union address was a speech given by United States President George W. Bush on January 28, 2008, at 9 P.M. EST to a joint session of Congress. It was the last State of the Union Address of Bush's presidency. The speech was delivered in the United States House of Representatives in the United States Capitol. Sitting behind the president were the presiding officers of the United States Senate, Vice President Dick Cheney, and the United States House of Representatives, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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The White House indicated beforehand that the President's speech would mention the following policies[1]:
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In keeping with tradition of Democrats from red states giving the response, Governor of Kansas Kathleen Sebelius delivered the Democratic response from the Governor's Mansion in Topeka.[2] It has been noted that she focused not on the usual Democratic rebuttal, but more so on the need to get past partisan politics to get the important legislation passed in a timely manner. She was picked by Democratic congressional leaders to make the response because of her ability to reach across partisan lines.[3]
Texas state Senator Leticia Van de Putte gave the Democratic response in Spanish.[4]
Libertarian Party Chair William Redpath issued a written response to the State of the Union on behalf of the national Libertarian Party.[5]
Steve Kubby, a candidate for the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nomination, delivered his own "State of the Union address" via Internet video on January 25, 2008, three days before President Bush's speech. Framed as a preemption rather than merely a response,[6] Kubby's speech attempted to predict the themes President Bush would strike and offered Kubby's own proposals in their stead.
| Preceded by 2007 State of the Union Address |
State of the Union Addresses 2008 |
Succeeded by 2010 State of the Union Address |
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