Illinois representatives' reaction to State of the Union

Illinois reaction to President Bush's State of the Union address:

"There are things where we need to come together and work with the president. The economic stimulus package is a good example of that. This is something where, all of our differences notwithstanding, we don't want us to slide this economy into a recession. So we need to work to get this done quickly and get it to the president for his signature." -- U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

"He listed among his priorities the need to fund new technologies that can produce power from coal with significantly lower carbon emissions. It is my hope that he follows through with his promise by supporting the FutureGen project, the clean-coal demonstration project designated for Mattoon (Ill.), with the enthusiasm and sense of urgency that he demonstrated in his speech." -- U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill.

"It would be nice to see Afghanistan get more coverage than it has. What very little coverage (there is) is usually buried on page 38." -- Staff Sgt. Matthew Ritenour of Chicago, a veteran wounded in the war in Afghanistan, who was invited to attend the address by Durbin.

"The state of our union is significantly weaker because of the harmful effects of unfair trade. ... Instead of offering a swan-song to his friends in big business, I wish the President would use tonight to offer a new direction on trade that protects American jobs and allows our workers to compete on a level playing field." -- U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Ill.

"On Iraq, while we're all encouraged by the recent military progress, the political progress that was promised has yet to be seen. Ultimately, that political reconciliation is up to the Iraqi people and not us." -- U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill.