Bush to touch on Iraq, home issues
Ap, Washington
US President Bush will deliver his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday after arguably the worst year of his presidency, looking to reinvigorate confidence in his leadership and the U.S. role in the world. The speech gives the president an opportunity to lay out his agenda in this midterm election year directly to Congress and the American people. He will try to ease anxiety about continuing U.S. troop deaths in Iraq and the high price of fuel and health care that are dampening Americans' view of the economy. He will argue that his program to secretly eavesdrop on communications between people in the United States and suspected terrorists overseas is not only legal, but necessary, despite the questions raised by legal experts. He'll urge Congress to renew the controversial portions of the anti-terrorism USA Patriot Act, set to expire Friday and blocked by lawmakers insisting on new privacy safeguards. And he'll touch on ethics, declaring support for reform as a lobbying scandal threatens members of his own party on Capitol Hill. The speech comes as Bush's job approval ratings have rebounded somewhat, but still hover in the high 30s to low 40s in most polls. About two-thirds of Americans say in recent polls that the country is headed down the wrong track. The numbers give Republicans cause for worry as they look to maintain control of Congress in this fall's midterm elections. The Democratic response to the president's speech was being delivered by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, considered a rising star in the party after winning office last year in a Southern state that went for Bush in 2004. Democrats hope to replicate his victory in congressional elections. Bush planned to talk extensively about Iraq and the war on terror in the speech, in which he said he would describe America's responsibility to lead the world in promoting freedom and sound economic principles. But as he did last year, Bush is using the wartime address to launch a nationwide discussion about domestic priorities. Four topics -- health care, energy, competitiveness and controlled government spending will dominate his schedule for the next month as he plans a series of speeches across the country to promote his ideas in more detail. The speech ran 38 minutes in Bush's two practice sessions on the eve of the address. That didn't include interruptions for applause that will come from the Republican-controlled Congress.
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