Following President Bush’s State of the Union address, the Democratic response was delivered by Senator Jim Webb, the Virginian freshman whose election gave the Democrats control of the Senate.

This is the prepared text of Senator Webb’s response.

Good evening.

I’m Sen. Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown — an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth.

It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the president’s message, nor would it be useful. Let me simply say that we in the Democratic Party hope that this administration is serious about improving education and health care for all Americans, and addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans. [Read more…]