Bush sets out re-election race themes

President George W Bush, wrapping the themes of his re-election campaign in his State of the Union address, asserted that the US is strengthening its economy and successfully combating terrorism.

“We have not come all this way – through tragedy and trial and war – only to falter and leave our work unfinished,” he said.

In a speech to a joint session of Congress, Mr Bush said the nation faced important challenges and choices.

He said it was tempting – but wrong – to think the danger of terrorist attacks had passed even though it has been more than two years since September 11.

“We have come through recession and terrorist attack and corporate scandals and the uncertainties of war,” the President told lawmakers at the opening of a campaign year.

“And because you acted to stimulate our economy with tax relief, this economy is strong and growing stronger.”

Democrats were quick to take issue, noting that 2.3 million jobs have been lost under Mr Bush, that deficits are soaring and casualties are climbing in Iraq.

Mr Bush’s speech was designed to cast him as the commander in chief, grappling with the nation’s problems and above politics while Democratic rivals for his office race around the campaign trail trading charges.

With a $500bn (€398bn) budget deficit limiting his options, Mr Bush offered a handful of new initiatives: a pilot plan to encourage student drug testing in public schools and a job training and placement programme for released prisoners.

Touching on a politically sensitive issue, he said he would support a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages if the courts struck down a law saying marriage should be between a man and woman.

“America this evening is a nation called to great responsibilities,” the president said. “And we are rising to meet them. … We have not come all this way – through tragedy and trial and war – only to falter and leave our work unfinished.

“Our greatest responsibility is the active defence of the American people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11, 2001 – over two years without an attack on American soil – and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable, comforting and false.”

In the official Democratic response, the top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said Mr Bush wasn’t doing enough to protect the country from terrorists or to improve the economy.

Mr Bush faced an electorate closely divided over the nation’s direction. Americans are evenly split on his handling of domestic issues such as education, health care and energy, and just over half approve of his handling of the economy, polls suggest. His strong suit remains foreign policy, especially his handling of terrorism.

Mr Bush’s job approval among voters in an AP-Ipsos poll early this month was 56%, a relatively strong position at this stage of a re-election campaign.

He said his administration was confronting nations that harbour and support terrorists and can supply them with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. “Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better,” he said.

He said the US has captured or killed two-thirds of the leadership of the al-Qaida network – although Osama bin Laden remains at large. He called on Congress to renew key portions of the Patriot Act that the administration says has given law enforcement officials the tools they need to combat terrorists.

The President defended his decisions to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of the top 55 officials of Saddam Hussein’s regime, 45 have been captured or killed, he said.

“We are dealing with these thugs in Iraq just as surely as we dealt with Saddam Hussein’s evil regime.”

Mr Bush acknowledged that some Americans opposed his decision to go to war in Iraq. But he said: “Had we failed to act, the dictator’s weapons of mass destruction programmes would continue to this day.” His words served as a reminder that the US has not been able to find any banned weapons in Iraq, which was Mr Bush’s justification for going to war.

“For all who love freedom and peace, the world without Saddam Hussein’s regime is a better and safer place,” the President said.

With more than 500 US troops killed in Iraq, he said, “The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.”

The president pointed to Libya’s decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction. He said the US, working with other countries, was insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear programme and that Iran not develop nuclear weapons.

Last year’s speech brought criticism over passages that asserted that Saddam Hussein was “assembling the world’s most dangerous weapons” and cited British intelligence alleging that Iraq had sought to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa. The administration later acknowledged it had no proof about uranium purchases.

On the domestic front, Mr Bush said the US economy was being transformed by technology that makes workers more productive but requires new skills. He called for new job-training grants channelled through community colleges.

He urged Congress to address the rising costs of health care with tax-free savings accounts for medical expenses, tax credits to pay for insurance and ceilings on medical malpractice damage awards.

Reviving an old proposal, Mr Bush called on Congress to overhaul Social Security to allow workers to invest some of their payroll taxes in private retirement accounts. He also renewed proposals to help Americans cope with the rising costs of health care and to make tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 permanent.

He revived his push to steer federal money to religious groups that provide social services.