By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

PRESIDENT Bush’s State of the Union Address yesterday had good and bad news for Guam, according to Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo.
While the president’s plan to initiate immigration reform and improve health care for the uninsured would benefit Guam, Bordallo said Bush’s plan to increase U.S. troops in Iraq may not go over well with Guam families who have sons and daughters serving overseas.
“I am concerned about the toll the global war on terror is taking on the readiness of the active, Reserve, and National Guard components of our Armed Forces. Some units are now experiencing their third and fourth deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa. This is a hardship not only for service members, but for their families, loved ones, and our community,” Bordallo said in reaction to the president’s speech.
In his State of the Union Address, Bush also outlined his plan to increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps by 92,000 over the next five years.
Bush has ordered more U.S. service members to deploy to Iraq to help clear and hold violent neighborhoods in Baghdad and other areas in Iraq.
Yesterday, the president implored Congress to embrace his unpopular plan to send more troops to Iraq, urging lawmakers to “give it a chance to work.”
But the Democrats, who have assumed control of Congress, have made it clear that they will do their best to oppose Bush’s plan.
Sen. Jim Webb, who was picked by the Democrats to deliver their TV response, said a new direction for the war in Iraq is needed and that the majority of the nation, including the military, no longer supports the way the war is being conducted.
Bordallo, who belongs to the Democratic majority, also said although her party supports the men and women who serve in the nation’s armed forces, it is the duty of members of Congress to ask questions of the administration and to seek justifications for the troop increase and the president’s policy.
Bordallo also said the Iraq government must do its share in helping protect the security of its own citizens.
“We all support the troops and we are concerned about the deterioration of the situation in Iraq and in other areas in the Middle East. The president spoke of the high stakes of failure, and while no one wants failure, victory in Iraq is not assured unless the Iraqi government shows that it can provide for its own citizens’ security,” the congresswoman said.
Bordallo, however, also pointed out portions of the president’s speech that would have a beneficial effect on Guam.
“I welcomed the president’s comments that focused on improving health care for uninsured families. I also hope that Medicare and Medicaid reform can re-open the door to addressing the Medicaid cap in the territories,” the congresswoman said.
She added that the president’s call for comprehensive immigration reform is timely for Guam as the island’s need for more workers increases in light of the continuing military build-up.
“The proposal for a temporary guest worker program as part of a broader immigration reform effort could be the vehicle for reforms to the H-2 guest worker system which has been operating under a cap that has been inadequate for several years. Our community has a distinct interest in this issue and I will be following these reform efforts very carefully,” Bordallo said.