In the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said the federal government is trying to do too much and is racking up America's debt in the process.
The newly inaugurated governor said the federal government should not pile on more taxation and litigation that hurts the middle class. He said that without reform, excessive government growth threatens the nation's freedom and prosperity.
Addressing Mr. Obama's top priority, health care, McDonnell said all Americans agree on the need for affordable, accessible health care. But he said Americans do not want the federal government to run it.
McDonnell also criticized the Obama administration's handling of the suspect accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day. He said he does not agree with the decision to try the Nigerian suspect in the Detroit airliner plot in a U.S. court. He said that decision caused the suspect to stop cooperating with investigators, which resulted in the loss of valuable information in the case.
McDonnell said Americans should be spending money to defeat terrorists, not to defend them.
The Virginia governor called the U.S. "the most generous and prosperous nation on earth" and praised Americans for the time and money they are donating to earthquake victims in Haiti. He said some people fear that America is no longer the great land of promise it should be. He countered that view, saying the nation "will always blaze the trail of opportunity."