State of the Union Address May Be Underscored By Bush's Fading Power

George Bush, overshadowed in the final year of his presidency by the race to choose his successor, tonight is expected to use his final State of the Union address to press Congress to speed through an economic stimulus package.

With 51 weeks left in his presidency and a personal approval rating in the low 30s, tonight will be one of Bush's few remaining moments in the national spotlight.

Even then, he will have to share the evening with two of his potential successors: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be among the senators in attendance. Mindful of his waning presidency, Bush might make no attempt at the bold new visions that are typically unveiled at the annual address.

White House officials said earlier today that it would be unrealistic to expect a Democratic-controlled Congress to support a Bush agenda in an election year. "They haven't been willing to do it in the past several years; there's no reason to think that they would do it this year," the White House press secretary, Dana Perino, told reporters.

Instead, Bush hopes to use his diminishing political capital to try to allay rising anxiety about the economy, which now replaces the Iraq war as the issue of most concern to Americans.

The White House also sees the address as an opportunity to try to tie up some of the loose ends of the Bush presidency: the tax cuts of his first term which are set to expire in 2010 and legislation on wire taps without court oversight.

But they acknowledge that Bush has better chances of passing more modest proposals through executive measure which would avoid having to deal with Congress.

"In the State of the Union it is perfectly appropriate for the president to bring up issues that he plans to get done on behalf of the American people," Perino said.

"The president will mention policies that can be implemented through executive or administrative action without congressional involvement."

The speech, due to last 45 minutes, is expected to be divided fairly evenly between his domestic and foreign agenda. On the Iraq war, tonight will be the first State of the Union address for four years in which Bush can claim success on the ground. But Bush will speak after one of the worst days for months for US troops in Iraq.

Five soldiers were killed when their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb followed by gunfire in the northern city of Mosul after American and Iraqi forces began an offensive against what was described as al-Qaida militants.

Almost 4,000 US service personnel have been killed since April 2003.

Nevertheless Bush is expected to remind Americans of the gains achieved over the last year since he dispatched an additional 27,000 troops to Iraq.

Those troops are scheduled for withdrawal by next summer, and the Pentagon has been hoping for further troop reductions in Iraq to ease the strain on the military.

However, Bush has said he would not decide about further troop reductions until he hears from the US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, later this spring.

The prepared speech also will cover Bush's recent visit to the Middle East as well as Iran.

On the war on terror, he is expected to come down somewhat harshly on Congress to extend a law that allows for wiretapping without court oversight of telephone calls and email.

The law expires on Friday, and Congress has balked at demands from the White House to grant legal immunity to telephone companies involved in the surveillance.

On the economy, Bush will focus on short-term measures like the economic stimulus package. The plan calls for the distribution of rebate checks of up to $1,200 to 117 million families.

But in many ways, tonight's address will be a reminder of the failures of the Bush presidency. The ambitious domestic agenda unveiled in previous State of the Union addresses -- such as an overhaul of America's social security program or comprehensive immigration reform -- failed to get off the ground.

Other signature programs, such as the No Child Left Behind education reforms have become deeply unpopular.