Bush tries to revive presidency with plan to reduce petrol use and "stays the course on Iraq" - by Rupert Cornwell
With his popularity dipping to record lows, George W Bush sought to revive his foundering presidency last night with new proposals to increase health coverage for Americans, and cut the country's petrol consumption by a fifth over the next decade. Delivering his sixth annual State of the Union address to a Congress now controlled by Democrats, Mr Bush sought to shift the focus from his bitterly contested "surge" in US troop strength in Iraq to domestic policy.
But Iraq overshadowed everything as Mr Bush stepped on to the rostrum in the a predominantly hostile chamber of the House of Representatives, shorn of the comforting and friendly figure of Dennis Hastert, the former Republican speaker, behind him. Instead, he was introduced by Mr Hastert's Democratic successor, Nancy Pelosi, one of Mr Bush's most trenchant critics on Iraq.Most U.S. senators were ready to confront President George W. Bush over his decision to add American troops in Iraq, according to Democrats who said on Tuesday they were close to a single bipartisan resolution denouncing the strategy.
When asked what defeat in Iraq would mean to America, Richard Knapp, of Orlando said: "The same as being defeated the last time. Twenty-five years from now, Iraq would be like Viet Nam, where everything in Hanoi is now priced in U.S. dollars and world class hotels and golf courses cater to American tourists."
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