Sebelius to deliver Democrats response to Bushs State of the Union

Jan. 16--Come on down, Kathleen Sebelius.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that she had plucked the Kansas governor out of the national mass of Democrats to deliver the party's response to President Bush's State of the Union address on Jan. 28.

Sebelius' talk will last no more than 10 minutes and will follow the president's final annual address to Congress. Instead of flying to Washington, she plans to deliver it from Cedar Crest, the governor's mansion in west Topeka.

"Wowwww," said political scientist Bob Beatty of Washburn University in Topeka. "This is a big deal."

Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said the governor would have full control over the message's content.

She was asked last week. As of Tuesday, she had not yet begun to prepare her remarks because of other pressing matters on her plate: identifying a successor to outgoing Attorney General Paul Morrison and delivering her sixth State of the State speech Monday night.

Democrats hailed the news as yet another sign of a rising national profile.

"I'm pretty pleased with it," said Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates. "It gives the rest of the country an opportunity to see what we Kansans see every day -- somebody who is not afraid to jump in and roll up her sleeves and work across party lines and get things done."

Elected to two terms in a heavily GOP state, Sebelius is hailed as one who can bridge the partisan divide. She's been suggested as a potential vice-presidential nominee or a Cabinet member.

"It confirms what many of us have been observing for a long time now, and that is that Sebelius is playing to a Washington, D.C., audience with a lot of her moves," said Kansas GOP Chairman Kris Kobach.

He pointed to the Sebelius administration's rejection of a coal plant in western Kansas. He said that decision was aimed at satisfying "the global warming contingent" of the Democratic Party and not residents of western Kansas who were eager for the 2,400 jobs the plant would have created.

Last year, Sen. James Webb of Virginia had a feisty response to Bush, saying at one point, "We need a new direction."

Sebelius, however, is not known for fiery rhetoric, and her address probably will carry a far different tone.

She suggested as much with a statement that Americans "expect their leaders to resolve their differences and put partisanship on the back burner ...

"That is exactly the kind of leadership we've demonstrated in Kansas."

Kobach said Sebelius will have to pick up the rhetorical pace when she speaks before the nation, saying that Monday night's State of the State address was "rather lackluster."

Beatty said the speech is destined to "substantially" raise Sebelius' national profile. "Most Americans," he said, "don't know who she is."

Gates isn't worried: "I'm very comfortable that she'll handle it very well."

To reach Steve Kraske, call 816-234-4312 or send e-mail to skraske@kcstar.com

To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.