Former U.S. Senate Majority and Minority Leader Tom Daschle stressed the importance of political debate in order for America to achieve its potential to a captive audience Wednesday in the Memorial Union.

“Our debate needs to be underpinned by the understanding that we all are in this together,” Daschle said.

Daschle was defeated in the 2004 senate elections by Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota.

He was highly critical of the Bush administration’s energy policy, its affiliation with oil lobbyists and the country’s dependence on foreign oil, but agreed with President Bush’s assessment in his State of the Union address Tuesday night that the nation is “addicted to oil.”

“When energy policy is made by the oil lobbyists, this is what you get,” Daschle said. “An energy program that gives tax breaks to the richest companies in history and doesn’t reduce our dependency on oil.”

He said Iowa could become an important player in the future with its research programs in renewable energy sources like ethanol. He added that Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa and himself were highly influential during his time in the Senate for the ethanol program. The former senator also talked about the problem of an economy with a widening gap between the rich and poor.

“On one hand the economy is the largest and most dynamic,” he said. “On the other hand our economy growth has become lopsided.”

Daschle said trade deficits and the deepening debt of the government are a source of problems for the economy, and they are hurting the potential of Americans.

Before the speech, ISU students sounded off about their excitement to hear Daschle speak.

Samuel Johnson, sophomore in biology, said he leans heavily toward the Democratic Party. He said he thought Daschle had done well in his time in the Senate, and wanted to hear about the current situation of the country.

“I couldn’t miss the opportunity to hear one of the main guys speak,” he said.

Maggie Luttrell, freshman in history, said she had heard a lot about his record in the Senate.

“I hope this will teach and help me in the future,” she said.