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The Single Best Line From Nikki Haley's Rebuttal

by Claire Elizabeth Felter

Some people have mixed feelings about South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. If you're a proud advocate of the Obama administration, Haley's decisions may not have been your favorite, since the governor sure hasn't shied away from criticizing the president's choices. And her rebuttal following President Obama's last State of the Union address on Tuesday evening surely stirred up an assortment of emotions for Americans, no matter their places on the political spectrum. Regardless of sentiment, Haley's own speech on Tuesday was definitely worth hearing. So here's the one line from Nikki Haley's rebuttal that you should listen to, no matter who you support.

There was no way to know how aggressive Haley was going to approach her response to Obama's address. Sure, Haley's not a fan of the president's policy ideas, but Obama wasn't really planning to delve into a policy agenda for his 2016 SOTU. In his State of the Union preview video, the president made clear that his focus for his last address would be a broader vision for America's future.

And while Haley made clear the opinion that the president has failed to live up to his promises in the past, she similarly made the decision to approach the American people with a broader emphasis on how the country as a whole should move forward. With a line that rang out as possibly the most "let's call a truce" sentiment to have ever been uttered in Washington, Haley made the point that both parties share the burden of coming up with solutions for America's issues.

While Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they do not bear it alone. There is more than enough blame to go around. We as Republicans need to own that truth.

Haley didn't stop there, either. The "more than enough blame to go around" statement may have been the one to stick with viewers, but what follows in Haley's rebuttal pretty much seems like a prescribed list of ways to move beyond denial. After owning the truth bomb that the South Carolina governor dropped on her fellow party members, Haley suggested Republicans follow up with a few other things, like recognition and acceptance.

We need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken.

Finally came the call for action. The governor pointed out with a refreshing bluntness that once everyone was finished playing the blame game, a bipartisan effort to work on national issues is more than necessary.

And then we need to fix it.

Haley, of course, has different ideas from, say, Hillary Clinton on how to fix problems like healthcare and military spending — which is sort of how the gridlock in Washington started in the first place. But you sure can't blame her for trying, right?