Rep. Lamborn to skip State of the Union to protest president's policies

Colorodo Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn is skipping Tuesday night's State of the Union speech in a protest of President Obama's policies over so-called recess appointments, rejection of the Keystone pipeline, deficit spending and "draconian" cuts to the defense budget that were negotiated in the debt ceiling deal last summer.

The three-term lawmaker said he has never passed on a presidential address to a joint session of Congress, but this year’s speech is different because President Obama is "in full campaign mode and will use the address as an opportunity to bash his political opponents."

His office added that as far as the congressman knows, he is the only Republican who will pass on attending the State of the Union, and he is not trying to coordinate this with any other members. But, the office said Lamborn wants "to send a clear message that he does not support the policies of Barack Obama, that they have hurt our country."

Lamborn said he plans to watch the speech on television.