Bush pleads for Iraq plan: ‘Give it a chance’

WASHINGTON - A politically weakened President Bush implored a skeptical Congress Tuesday night to embrace his unpopular plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, saying it represents the best hope in a war the United States must not lose. “Give it a chance to work,” he said.

In his hour-long State of the Union address, Bush laid out a broad agenda with bipartisan appeal that touched economic, educational and energy policies — even as he sought to combat strong opposition to sending more troops to the war in Iraq and an increase in the size of the military.

“Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq — and I ask you to give it a chance to work,” he said. “And I ask you to support our troops in the field — and those on their way.”

Playing to both parties, Bush called for balancing the federal budget — without raising taxes — and halving budget earmarks that are passed “when not even C-Span is watching.” The president also pushed for renewal of his No Child Left Behind legislation and pledged to require a five-fold increase in alternative fuels to help “confront the serious challenge of global climate change.”

Bush, whose tone resembled the bipartisanship he pledged after the 2000 election, also called on politicians to “make life better for our fellow Americans, and help them to build a future of hope and opportunity — and this is the business before us tonight.”

“Our citizens don’t much care which side of the aisle we sit on — as long as we are willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done,” Bush said.

“We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences and achieve big things for the American people,” he said.

Drama in the political arena
It was a night of political theater as Bush went before the first Democratic-controlled Congress in a dozen years with his lowest approval ratings in polls.

The speech audience included up to a dozen House and Senate members who have announced they are running for president or are considered possible contenders.

And in a nod to the power shift that he now faces, Bush congratulated Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who is the first woman speaker of the House. Reaching out to the Democrats, Bush opened with a tribute to Pelosi and paused to shake her hand, and his words “Madame Speaker” drew a brief standing ovation from Democratic lawmakers.

Bush also asked for prayers for Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson, hospitalized for more than a month after suffering a brain hemorrhage, and Republican Georgia Rep. Charlie Norwood, suffering from cancer.

‘He has not listened to Americans’
The congenial mood would not last long, as Democrats — and even some Republicans — scoffed at Bush’s policy.

“The president took us into this war recklessly,” the Democrats’ chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in his prepared response. “We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable — and predicted — disarray that has followed.”

Webb, a Vietnam veteran who was Navy secretary during Republican President Reagan’s administration, called for a new direction. “The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military,” he said.

“Unfortunately, tonight the president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans’ single greatest concern: the war in Iraq,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Pelosi said in a joint statement. “We will continue to hold him accountable for changing course in Iraq.”

Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota also took issue with Bush. “I can’t tell you what the path to success is, but it’s not what the president has put on the table.”

Bush’s speech came as key Republicans joined Democrats in drafting resolutions of opposition to the plans Bush announced two weeks ago to send an additional 21,500 U.S. troops to Iraq.

Bush said he had reviewed the decision with military commanders and had considered every possible approach. “In the end I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success,” he said. “Many in this chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq — because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far-reaching.”

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