Bush urges end to oil 'addiction'

President George W. Bush said on Tuesday "America is addicted to oil" from the Middle East and must break its dependence, in a State of the Union speech that promised aggressive US engagement around the world in defiance of critics.

Looking to restore confidence in his leadership, Mr Bush stood before members of the US Congress and the rest of Washington's power elite in the chamber of the House of Representatives to map out an election-year agenda for Republicans with a speech that was at times optimistic and at others combative.

And while he vowed to work to improve the tone of debate in Washington, he defended a domestic spying programme that has Democrats outraged, and to his harshest critics on Iraq he said "second-guessing is not a strategy".

With three years left in office, Mr Bush is hoping to lift his political fortunes and those of his Republican allies in an election year with control of Congress up for grabs. He is coming off one of the toughest stretches of his presidency, and his job approval ratings hover in the high 30s to low 40s in most polls.

The former oilman outlined a green agenda, promoting the need to improve technologies in order to reduce US oil imports from the Middle East 75 per cent by 2025.

Soaring gasoline prices are a central factor in Mr Bush's fall from grace with Americans. Oil prices are close to record levels and Exxon just reported record profits of $10.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005.

"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," Mr Bush said. "The best way to break this addiction is through technology."

He vowed to fund additional research into cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol not just from corn but from wood-chips or grasses and set a six-year goal for making this alternative fuel practical and competitive.

"By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past," he said.

Critics doubted Mr Bush ever really severed his ties from the oil industry and were sceptical he would put the kind of effort into conservation and alternative fuel research they say is needed. His previous energy initiatives have had little impact on prices or supplies.

"The President needs to put an end to his hollow promises and take action to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, the future of the US depends on it," said Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ed Markey.

Mr Bush also vowed the US will remain aggressively engaged around the world and will reject the temptation of protectionism and isolationism under his watch.

He said he would never give up in his battle against radical Islam, saying America's enemies and friends should be certain: "The US will not retreat from the world, and we will never surrender to evil."

The comments amounted to a rejection of those Democrats and others who argue US policies in Iraq and in the war on terrorism are doing more harm than good abroad.

On Iraq, Mr Bush argued against those Democrats who have been calling for a timetable for a phased redeployment of US troops in Iraq, saying a "sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison".

He offered little hope of a US reduction in force any time soon, as usual saying it depended on how quickly Iraqi forces can defend themselves.