WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush touched on the war on terror, the economy, healthcare and traditional values in his State of the Union speech Tuesday.
Bush, whose invited guests included veterans of Iraq from all services, the president of the Iraqi governing council Adnan Pachachi, and the new Iraqi representative in Washington, said, in prepared remarks, "The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right."
He opened the address warning the war on terror was not over, even if there had been no attacks on U.S. soil in two years.
"As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting regimes that harbor and support terrorists and could supply them with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons," he said.
Touching on the economy, Bush said he recognized the changing nature of work and the need to train workers so they can "find good jobs in our new economy."
He said every American should be able to buy the healthcare that he or she needs and urged Congress to address rising healthcare costs through refundable tax credits, health savings accounts and association health plans.
He was expected to wind up the speech addressing the importance of traditional values, saying, "All of us -- parents, schools, government -- must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children."
