US President George W Bush is expected to focus on soaring energy and health care costs and America's leadership in the world in his State of the Union address this evening.
Bush's prime-time address to joint session of Congress is billed by the White House as a message of optimism and a prescription for strengthening the nation's competitiveness in a global economy.
With oil prices inching toward $70 a barrel, Bush is to say the nation must reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers - a goal often stated over the decades but never realised - and push for development of alternative fuels such as hydrogen and ethanol, wind and solar power, as well as build new nuclear power plants.
Three years from leaving office, Bush goes before the nation as a politically weakened president after the toughest year of his administration. With Americans anxious about the economy, weary of the three-year-old Iraq war and unhappy about the administration's stumbling response to Hurricane Katrina, Bush's job approval rating was in the anemic high 30s to low 40s.
A majority of Americans fault him on his handling of Iraq, the economy, the budget deficit, immigration, ethics in government, health care and taxes. A Medicare prescription drug program for the elderly, once seen as a boon for Republicans, has left seniors confused and angry.
Bush is not expected to set a timetable for bringing American troops home from Iraq. There are about 138,000 US troops in Iraq, down from about 160,000 at the time of the January elections.
AP