Governor Tom Vilsack will deliver his final "Condition of the State" speech this (Tuesday) morning. Vilsack gave a preview to Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson. Vilsack says it’s the most difficult "Condition of the State" message he’s had to put together.
"I think most folks are looking forward to the new administration as they should and the beginning of a new legislature with Democratic control, so it’s a difficult speech," Vilsack says. "To a certain extent you have to use it to thank folks who have given me the opportunity of a lifetime." Vilsack will use the speech to review not only 2006, but his eight years as governor.
"You also have to challenge Iowans to understand that with change comes challenge and opportunity," Vilsack says. Vilsack plans to urge legislators to spend more on preschool programs, to extend health care coverage to more Iowans and to do more to protect Iowa’s water resources. As Vilsack prepares to leave his job as governor on Friday morning, he says he has no regrets about his tenure
"I was asked a question by a blogger the other day…What is your most favorite television show of all time?" Vilsack says. "I go all the way back to my childhood and I just loved ‘The Lone Ranger.’ I just loved the idea of a guy doing good work and then riding off into the sunset and then having people ask ‘Who was that masked man?’ That’s my attitude about this. You do your job and you leave the stage."
But Vilsack has embarked on a presidential campaign that he hopes will make a splash on the national political stage. "I just want to make sure I leave here on a good note and one in which I continue to challenge this General Assembly and the people of Iowa," Vilsack says.