Bush vows to face dangers head on

President George W Bush has warned of "danger and decline" if the US fails to face up to threats posed by terrorists, in his State of the Union address.

He said the US would fight to defend freedom, whose advance was "the great story of our time".

Security issues were a dominant theme of Mr Bush's fifth such address, at the start of a critical election year for his Republican party.

He also demanded a human cloning ban and said the US was "addicted to oil".

He said the nation it must break its addiction "through technology", and said he would seek a 22% increase in funding for clean energy research.

'Decisive year'

According to Mr Bush: "The American economy is pre-eminent - but we cannot afford to be complacent. In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India."


The only way to control our destiny is by our leadership

President George W Bush

A key part of the president's message focused on pushing the US as a world leader in what he calls a "decisive year".

"The road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting - yet it ends in danger and decline," according to the president.

"The only way to protect our people... the only way to secure the peace... the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership."


The State of the Union speech is required by the US constitution

Mr Bush has been enduring a prolonged slump in public support amid ongoing conflict in Iraq and political strife at home, with his approval ratings hovering around 41%.

Correspondents say he has suffered a series of embarrassments in domestic policy during the past 12 months, and that few of the reforms touted in last year's speech have been achieved.

The president was also criticised amid administration mishandling of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast in August.

A series of scandals have increased domestic pressure on the Republicans, who are defending a majority of seats in both houses of Congress in mid-term elections this November.

Besides being closely watched by millions of people in the United States, the speech is also being aimed at the outside world, with the state department website broadcasting it live, translated into a variety of languages, including Farsi, which is widely spoken in Iran and Afghanistan.