Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said President Bush's State of the Union speech was strong on foreign policy but fell short in domestic issues.
"I thought the president did the best job I've seen in explaining his policy on Iraq," Conrad said.
But Conrad had hoped newly revised budget deficits from the Office of Management and Budget would influence Bush to change direction in his economic policy. The president's call to make permanent future tax cuts signaled he wasn't budging.
"On the economic front, his plan here just doesn't add up," Conrad said. "I'm very concerned about the path he's taking."
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the speech was too short on domestic issues. Dorgan said he didn't disagree with anything Bush said about Iraq, but he felt that issues like the economy and farming were neglected.
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Dorgan, who has been pushing the development of hydrogen-powered cars, said he was nonetheless impressed by Bush's call for development of the pollution-free technology. The president asked for $1.2 billion to help research the fuel cell vehicles. Dorgan recently called for $6.5 billion over 10 years to help develop the technology.
