Who picks response to the State of the Union?

@petebaja (516)
Mexico
January 29, 2008 9:21pm CST
We all know that this time of year the President of the United States addresses the nation in the chambers of Congress. This annual ritual, we all know as the State of the Union, is televised on prime time by the major networks and cable channels. This long-winded speech, which is full of rhetoric, is usually followed by a response by a politician of the opposing party. My question to anyone who is knowledgeable or anyone who has a smart guess is, who in the heck picks the person who gives this rebuttal. I know the highest ranking Democrat is Nancy Pelosi, being Speaker of the House. Shouldn't she be doing the response to the President's speech? Last night, I saw some governor respond. Other years, I've seen a middle-ranking senator. Why shouldn't the opposing party's highest ranking official respond to the President?
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