WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday urged Congress to give his new Iraq plan a chance in his State of the Union speech, saying it is not too late to shape the outcome in Iraq. He also sought to push a domestic agenda, including plans to address climate change, create a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants and expand health care for Americans. Following are some reactions to the speech: SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, SENATE MINORITY LEADER AND KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN "Americans want to see success in Iraq. We are not a country that shies from challenges. I think the president should be given a chance to carry out his plan for a secure Iraq." SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN, MEMBER OF SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE "I completely agree with President Bush that the outcome in Iraq is part of the overall war on terror. Success in Iraq with a functioning democratic government will empower moderates throughout the Mideast. Failure in Iraq will lead to regional chaos. SEN. HARRY REID, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER AND NEVADA DEMOCRAT, NANCY PELOSI, HOUSE SPEAKER AND CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT, IN JOINT STATEMENT "Unfortunately, tonight the president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq. The overwhelming majority of Americans, military leaders, and a bipartisan coalition in Congress oppose the president's plan to escalate the war." "While the president continues to ignore the will of the country, Congress will not ignore this president's failed policy. His plan will receive an up-or-down vote in both the House and the Senate, and we will continue to hold him accountable for changing course in Iraq." SEN. JOHN KERRY, MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRAT AND 2004 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE "The President missed a golden opportunity tonight to admit that he made a mistake in Iraq and to share with the American people a plan for gradually removing our troops and allowing the Iraqis to solve the political crisis in Iraq." SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY, MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRAT, CHAIRMAN OF SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE: "The President has laid out a vision of comprehensive immigration reform that includes genuine enforcement of immigration laws; creation of an employment program that would meet the needs of our economy; establishment of a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who have roots in our country; and integration of immigrants into American life through civic education and English language training.""We can agree with the principles the President has put forth and we look forward to working with the administration and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact a comprehensive bill." SEN. BARACK OBAMA, ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT AND POSSIBLE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE "The President offered some serious proposals tonight on two issues -- energy and health care -- that we all agree must be addressed. But the last election proved that politics-by-slogan and poll-tested sound bites aren't going to cut it with the American people anymore, and that's why the real test of leadership is not what the president said to Congress tonight, but how he works with Congress to find real solutions to the problems we face. ROBERT LIEBER, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY "I thought it was a civil and sober speech in which the president made the case for his Iraq policy as an integral part of a 'generational struggle.'" "He was mainly on foreign policy side making the case for his Iraq strategy and the specific initiatives he referred to -- the main one of course is the increase of 20,000 troops in Iraq now -- and it is an initiative which Congress is, practically speaking, not likely to be able to do anything about even if a majority of members of Congress disagree with that." JON ALTERMAN, DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES "Where I saw something new was on the domestic side, rather than on the foreign policy side. On the foreign policy side he fell into the familiar pattern of 'al Qaeda wants it, it must be bad, and if we want it, then al Qaeda must not want it.' I don't think that's how the world works. Part of the problem is that the president doesn't seem to recognize that some of what alienates people is what we do, and it doesn't just alienate extremists but it alienates people in the middle. KEN WARREN, ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR "Generally I think that he did a pretty good job under the circumstances but his circumstances are so pathetic. He didn't say anything to rally anyone or turn the numbers around for him with the American people. It was old hat stuff. We've heard it all before ... with a Congress not really behind anything he said."JOHN STREMLAU, HEAD OF THE PEACE PROGRAMS AT THE CARTER CENTER "It was all gain and no pain, the rhetoric and reality part company. If I was in a foreign country I would say America is missing in action. He's lost in Iraq and he's bogged down in a domestic salvage operation, trying to do things he should have years ago."CHARLEY RICHARDSON, CO-FOUNDER OF MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT"He says if we leave Iraq it will fall into chaos. I think Iraq is the classic definition of chaos. The idea of putting more U.S. troops into a situation where the presence of U.S. troops is the problem makes absolutely no sense." (Additional reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City, Ed Stoddard in Dallas, Andrea Hopkins in Cincinnati)
