Bush wants spotlight with State of Union speech

With his stay-the-course State of the Union message, US President George W. Bush was expected to try to grab the spotlight last night from Democratic challengers caught up in a tight race to challenge him for the White House in November.

Speaking to a joint session of the US Congress at 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT today) and to millions watching on television, Bush was expected to stress his commitment to America's security and economic prosperity in the face of continuing threats from al Qaeda and a recovery not generating many new jobs.

With the US death toll now over 500 in Iraq, Bush was expected to defend the Iraq war as justified in that Saddam Hussein was removed from power and a chance for democracy in the heart of the Middle East was created.

"The president will talk about the action we've taken in Iraq, how it's made America safer, the world safer," White House communications director Dan Bartlett told NBC. Mr Bush's speech rehearsal was interrupted on Monday night when a top aide brought in words of Democrat John Kerry's stunning win in the Iowa caucuses. The unexpectedly strong finishes by the senator from Massachusetts and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina could reshape the presidential race once dominated by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who finished a distant third. Mr Kerry could pose a bigger challenge to Bush on national security matters.