Minnesota leaders react to Bush's State of the Union address

"Tonight, the president spent too little time on the issue that most directly affects the current state of our union - the war in Iraq. ... tonight was his chance to prove his willingness to listen to the Congress and more importantly, to the American public. He did little to convince me that he will take these concerns to heart ... " -U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a freshman Minnesota Democrat and National Guard veteran

"There were parts of the speech I agreed with, when he talked about energy ... but then I didn't hear the change of course that I wanted to hear about in Iraq. It was more of the same. ... the proof is going to be in the proposals we see." -U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

"The reality is he is president. The reality is we will cooperate with him; there is much we can do together. But he should have extended a greater hand of welcome, cordiality, and cooperation." -U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn.

"The president promises change and progress. But troop surges will not bring victory; children are being left behind; our skies aren't clearer, nor is our water cleaner; and we're now more dependent on Mideast oil than at any time in history. The president takes a shot at a good talk - but just won't walk the walk." - U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.

"By laying out practical goals and bolstering production of renewable fuels, we will accelerate our movement down the path toward energy independence. I also agree with the president that a successful energy policy focused on renewable fuel sources should also be coupled with measures to reduce the production of greenhouses gases. This is a problem that cannot be left to our children to solve ..." - U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

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