Bush address ignores problems: Democrats

Democrats challenged the buoyant picture of the US presented in President George W Bush’s State of the Union address, saying it belied a darker reality of lost jobs, rising deficits and mounting casualties in Iraq.

Coming exactly one week before New Hampshire’s presidential primary and the night after Iowa’s caucuses, the speech gave Democratic presidential candidates an opportunity to discuss how they would take on a president whose campaign will highlight the economic recovery and his leadership in fighting terrorism - themes prominent in the address.