Bush asks perseverance, action on economy and war — as he did in first State of Union

WASHINGTON — Recession. War. Terrorism.

The worry list in President Bush's final State of the Union address was the same as in his first.

"We can all see that growth is slowing," Bush said in his appearance before Congress Monday night when talking about the economy.

The war in Iraq, he acknowledged, "has been difficult and trying for our nation." The battle against terrorism, he said, is "the defining ideological struggle of the 21st century."

He said much the same, in a single sentence, in his first State of the Union speech in 2002, just a few months after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"As we gather tonight," Bush said then, "our nation is at war, our economy is in recession and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers."

On Monday night, Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that would jeopardize progress achieved over the past year. He said plans already are set for 20,000 troops to come home.

He faces a hostile, Democratic-led Congress eager for the end of his term next January. He scolded lawmakers of both parties for slipping costly, special-interest projects into bills and promised to use his veto pen to cut them.

With his approval rating near its all-time low, Bush lacked the political clout to push bold ideas and he didn't try. He called on lawmakers to urgently approve a $150 billion plan — worked out with House leaders — to avoid or soften any recession through tax rebates for families and incentives for businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.

"The actions of the 110th Congress will affect the security and prosperity of our nation long after this session has ended," the president said.

Senate Democrats want to expand the economic stimulus plan with rebates for senior citizens living off Social Security and extensions of unemployment benefits for the jobless. Bush said those changes "would delay it or derail it and neither option is acceptable."

He also pushed Congress to extend his tax cuts, which are to expire in 2010, and said allowing them to lapse would mean higher tax bills for 116 million American taxpayers. For those who say they're willing to pay more, Bush said, "I welcome their enthusiasm — pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders."