WASHINGTON — Looking to tonight’s State of the Union Rep. address by President George W. Bush,  Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., knows what he expects to  hear — and what he wants to hear.

“While many challenges face our country, I expect the President to report tonight that the state of the union is strong.  For that, all the citizens of the United States owe the men and women of our Armed Forces an enormous debt of gratitude.  They provide the vital foundation for a country that is strong and secur,” Skelton says.

What the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee hopes to hear is more of an admission on the part of the president.

“As the President discusses U.S. national security, I hope he will acknowledge the enormous stress and strain that has been placed on our service members and their families over the last several years. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are performing marvelously, but we cannot ignore the reality that the Army is strapped to meet its current commitments, soldiers and families are under stress, equipment is short, and training is being shortchanged.  If there were another major crisis at home or abroad, our Army would have a difficult time responding in a timely way and with the resources needed to do the job.  We cannot ignore the fact that our ongoing commitment of thousands of troops in Iraq has forced our nation to take on an extremely high level of strategic risk,” Skelton says.

Skelton also hopes to hear something about the mounting problems in Afghanistan, even as Iraq fares better.

“I will also be listening closely to what the President has to say concerning the ongoing war in Afghanistan,” Skelton says. “I believe there is still hope for success in Afghanistan, but I fear we currently risk a strategic failure there.  The President’s recent decision to deploy 3,200 additional Marines to Afghanistan this spring is encouraging, but it falls far short of the long-term strategy and commitment that is necessary for lasting success in Afghanistan.  We must once again make Afghanistan the central focus in the war against terrorism – our national security and Afghanistan’s future are at stake.”