Excerpts: State of the Union 2007

In his annual State of the Union speech, President Bush asked the US Congress to give his policy of sending more than 20,000 extra troops to Iraq a chance to work.

He also addressed a wide range of other topics including diversifying US energy supplies and reducing petrol usage. Here are some of the key excerpts:

On his party's losing control of Congress:
Some in this Chamber are new to the House and Senate - and I congratulate the Democratic majority. Congress has changed, but our responsibilities have not.

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.

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. Our job is 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.



On the 'growing US economy':
A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy - and that is what we have. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move - and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government but with more enterprise.



On his new health care initiatives:
[In] all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors.



On immigration reform:
Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America - with laws that are fair and borders that are secure.

When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. Yet, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border - and that requires a temporary worker program.



On 'strengthening America's energy security':
Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy that keeps America's economy running and America's environment clean.

For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists - who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments ... raise the price of oil ... and do great harm to our economy.

It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply - and the way forward is through technology.



On reducing petrol usage:
Tonight, I ask Congress to join me in pursuing a great goal. Let us build on the work we have done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20% in the next 10 years - when we do that we will have cut our total imports by the equivalent of three-quarters of all the oil we now import from the Middle East.




On the 'war on terror':
For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger.

[To] win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy. From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offence.

The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free flowing communications are long over.

For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

[Our] military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach.

In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success. 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.

The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. That is why it is important to work together so our nation can see this great effort through.



On his Iraq strategy:
We went into this largely united - in our assumptions, and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq - and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field - and those on their way.




On US foreign policy:
American foreign policy is more than a matter of war and diplomacy.

Our work in the world is also based on a timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is required.

We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger, poverty, and disease - and that is precisely what America is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/Aids, especially on the continent of Africa.

On the State of the Union:

This is a decent and honourable country - and resilient, too. We have been through a lot together. We have met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence, because the State of our Union is strong, our cause in the world is right - and tonight that cause goes on. God bless.