During his first address before our nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, President Bush said the right words, but time and time again, he has failed to back up such words with action.

To truly make an impact, today's photo-up must include a follow-up. The visuals and script he presented must be the beginning of a strong production.

I am pleased that President Bush acknowledged that racism and discrimination still exist in America - a fact some in the Republican party continue to deny.

He discussed giving priority to eliminating racial disparities by providing quality education for all children, encouraging the growth of minority-owned businesses, increasing home ownership in the African American community, expanding access to healthcare, addressing the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

However, mere words do not help children who attend low-performing schools. Catchy sound-bites don't help Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their lives. And his appearance at an NAACP convention doesn't make poverty disappear for millions of Americans.

Nearly 5 years after 9/11, the United States remains vulnerable to a
widespread cyber attack, which has the potential to disrupt
telecommunications networks, power, water and sewage systems, chemical
manufacturing and transportation systems.

Despite this risk, the Department of Homeland Security has still not
appointed a cyber security expert to the post of assistant-secretary. The
position has been vacant for about one year.

Terrorism experts have indicated that groups like al Qaeda are increasingly
focusing on ways to destroy the economy of the United States. And a cyber
attack could devastate the national economy and wreak havoc on the nation's
cyber infrastructure.

Remember that the 2003 blackout, in which much of the Northeastern United
States lost power for over 24 hours, exposed the dramatic impact such an
event could have on the economy. For example, the economic impact on New
York City alone was estimated at least $1 billion, not including the
additional millions lost due to overtime pay for the recovery and the lost
sales tax revenues.

That's why I've called for Congressional hearings, which will help shine a
light on the need for action and serve as a springboard for implementing a
comprehensive cyber security plan.

It was the NAM that was chosen, on behalf of its members, to lead the private-sector push for the U.S.-Oman FTA, a sign of the confidence congressional leaders place in the NAM when it comes to support for passing important pro-growth legislation.

Final passage of this agreement will help strengthen the already strong ties that exist between the United States and Oman, a vital ally in the Middle East, and demonstrate our nation’s continued commitment to opening markets around the world. It would also mark an important step toward implementing the Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA), which, when taken as a whole, would form one of our top 10 export markets.

The NAM supported this FTA because of the obvious benefits for all of our members:

- All American-made consumer and industrial products would enter Oman duty-free, gaining even greater market share for U.S. manufacturers, who exported nearly $600 million worth of goods to Oman in 2005.

- Oman would further its commitment to liberalized trade, regulatory transparency and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

- And, significantly, 94 percent of the U.S. manufactured goods trade deficit arises from countries with which we have no bilateral free trade agreements. Oman will be a U.S. trading partner, which is good news for the economy as a whole.

The NAM salutes lawmakers who supported the FTA. The hard work now focuses in the Senate and convincing lawmakers there to back similar legislation.

The Oman Free Trade Agreement is a relatively small, yet vitally important trade pact. Oman is a strategic U.S. ally in the Middle East. Located at the Hormuz Strait and the entrance to the Persian Gulf, it sits directly across from Iran. More than 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes through this strait. Oman has retained friendly ties with the U.S. since our first trade mission back in 1833. It was the first Arab country to send an Ambassador to the United States and also the first Arab country to appoint a female ambassador to the U.S. In 1981, Oman signed a 10-year military access agreement with the United States, which it has renewed twice. Oman has and continues to provide important support to U.S. forces in the region including logistical and operational support for the Persian Gulf War and the present war in Iraq.
Sixty percent of Oman’s population is less than 18. Implementation of this agreement will help Omani leaders in their effort to create the jobs and educational opportunities for this younger generation, and will raise their standard of living to help them sustain a prosperous future. The Oman Free Trade Agreement will have a minimum economic effect on the U.S. according to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) since trade levels are low, representing about four-one hundredths of one percent of total U.S. trade. Since the U.S. trades U.S. goods in exchange for Oman’s oil, the agreement will create more American jobs, particularly in the transport equipment and machinery manufacturing sectors.

I opposed the Oman Trade Agreement. Oman does not meet ILO standards, unlike Bahrain. There is also a port security problem with it.

I didn't think it had sufficient protections for workers.  I am worried about additional losses of jobs in my Congressional district, which has suffered enormously from previous trade agreements.

The U.S. trade deficit is far too large and the time has come for Congress to enact common sense initiatives that are going to boost American exports and level the playing field for domestic employers.

Congress must commit to strengthening our domestic trade remedy laws to ensure that our trading partners fully abide by the rules-based global trading system. We must implement a tax structure that includes border adjustability and promotes savings and investment. If Washington moves to embrace these changes now, we will improve the trade playing field for our commerce, end the artificial advantages we’ve dealt our competitors, and finally reverse the trend of our trade deficit.

The American taxpayer is being ripped off by the Republican
Prescription Drug law.  Any Republican who wants to dispute this fact should
take a look at Tuesday's New York Times.  Under the headline "A Windfall
From Shifts to Medicare" we have yet another example of how the
pharmaceutical companies are reaping record profits while the American
taxpayer is left holding the bill.

Before the Republican law went into effect this year, more than 6.5
million low-income Americans received help with their prescription drug
bills through Medicaid.  Under the Medicaid system, states could purchase
the drugs at the lowest available prices.  While this was good news for the
taxpayer, it certainly cut into the profits of the pharmaceutical companies.

So now, those 6.5 million Americans have been moved into the
Republican plan.  They are no longer receiving the lowest prices.  And the
higher costs, adding up to as much as $2 billion this year alone will be
passed onto the American taxpayer.

And House Republicans still claim to be fiscal conservatives!  House
Republicans sold out to the pharmaceutical companies, and now the American
taxpayers are paying the price.

The President put politics before the American people yesterday when he vetoed H.R. 810, a bill that would have expanded life-saving stem cell research.  How can he claim to value life, when he is depriving millions of Americans the promise of life-saving medical cures?

We have always been a nation of progress and advancement.  But the majority party's election year political pandering will reverse that rewarding course and deprive millions of ailing Americans the promise of life-saving cures.