WASHINGTON -- Democrats last night centered their criticisms of President Bush's State of the Union address around a key 2006 campaign theme: "There is a better way."

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Swissvale, said he was disappointed the president did not lay out a "workable plan for a successful exit strategy from Iraq" and said he did not adequately address the threats of Iran and North Korea. Mr. Doyle described the president's speech as a list of "non-starters or non-answers."

"Fortunately, the major new proposals he made in his State of the Union request last year -- like Social Security privatization and health care 'reform' -- died quick and merciful deaths, despite Republican control of Congress," Mr. Doyle said in a statement. "There is nothing in the president's speech tonight that suggests to me his new proposals will fare much better."

But Republicans, including Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., praised the speech as a realistic outline of what Congress and the administration needs to accomplish this year.

"One thing I liked about the speech was that it was more of a speech than a laundry list of proposals and I think that was helpful in focusing Congress," he said, pointing to the president's remarks on energy, education, health care and keeping the economy competitive. "I think that's a pretty full plate for us ... We have a limited number of days in which to get our work done this year."

Mr. Santorum, who was a key backer of Mr. Bush's Social Security plan last year, also acknowledged that the president's idea of creating a commission to look at the burgeoning costs of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare marked the end of a Social Security push for this session of Congress.

"You can't win them all -- you try your best," he said.

Democratic leaders U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid tapped two outside-the-beltway Democrats to respond to the State of the Union for their party: recently elected Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, who gave his address in Spanish from Los Angeles.

Mr. Kaine, who was chosen for his red-state appeal, was particularly critical of the president's call to make tax policies permanent because of what he referred to as the nation's "staggering national debt."

But Republicans, including Mr. Santorum, praised the president's push for making the tax cuts permanent.

U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas, the House Ways and Means chairman who has played a major role in crafting the tax bills that have passed Congress, said the success of the president's tax policies is evident in the fact that the economy has grown at an average rate of 3.1 percent over the past 17 quarters.

"Unemployment is down to its lowest level since August 2001, tax receipts are up and inflation is low," Mr. Thomas said. "America's economy is strong and it is in large part thanks to recent tax relief."

Other Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, said they were also excited about Mr. Bush's emphasis on a new "advanced energy initiative" that would provide a 22 percent increase in clean energy research at the Energy Department, according to the president.

"The energy initiatives are going to be big for Pittsburgh," said Mr. Murphy, who is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "Westinghouse nuclear has already announced they are going to be involved in building at least eight new power plants ... I think the coal research initiatives are big for our universities in Pittsburgh and the national energy technology laboratory in the South Hills."

But Democrats said Mr. Bush's goals were not attainable in the current spending environment.

Mr. Doyle, who is also a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he agreed with much of what Mr. Bush said about energy independence. But, he said, "the reality is there's no money" for the initiatives.