Bush defends Iraq plan, asks for chance

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) President George W Bush has urged a rebellious Congress to give his new Iraq plan a chance in his State of the Union speech and said the survival of the U S-backed Iraqi government is at stake.

''On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle,'' Bush said in the text of his speech yesterday. ''So let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.'' Facing skeptical lawmakers and millions of war-weary Americans watching on television, Bush said the best chance for success in Iraq is by following his plan to send 21,500 more U S troops to Iraq to help bring order to battered Baghdad.

He made clear he was not backing down even as lawmakers work on nonbinding resolutions expressing opposition to his plan.

''Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq -- and I ask you to give it a chance to work,'' Bush was to tell a joint session of the U S Congress, the first time he faced a House of Representatives and Senate both controlled by Democrats since he took office.

''And I ask you to support our troops in the field, and those on their way,'' he added.

As Democrats call for the beginning of a troop withdrawal in four to six months, Bush cast his argument for staying in Iraq by saying Iraq's government would be overrun by extremists if American forces step back before Baghdad is secure.

''We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country, and in time the entire region could be drawn into the conflict,'' he said.

In the Democratic response, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, a newly elected Vietnam veteran, said the majority of Americans no longer support the war and that ''we need a new direction... a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.'' Seeking to push a domestic agenda against a heavy tide of criticism over Iraq, Bush said he would address climate change by reducing US gasoline use by 20 percent over 10 years and increasing use of alternative fuels.

He called climate change a ''serious challenge.'' REUTERS PDS RN0800