WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Three moderate U.S. senators Sunday expressed hope for bipartisan cooperation in Congress after the president's State of the Union address.
Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Joseph Lieberman, Ind-Conn., appeared on ABC's "This Week." All three are not seeking re-election 2012.
Lieberman said President Barack Obama "has really reconnected to the vital center of American politics and, I think, to the American people" since the midterm elections.
"I think the mood of the State of the Union has to be both unifying and confident, optimistic that we can do things if we work together," he added. Obama addresses Congress Tuesday.
"I think he can convey the message," said Hutchison. "But … will there be a follow-through? Will he really get his regulatory commissions to cut back on the regulations that are hurting the growth of business? Will he agree to some changes in the Obamacare which is keeping people from hiring?"
Conrad said Congress' priorities should be "growing the economy and jobs," confronting the deficit and "reducing our dependence on foreign energy."
