Bush to defend Iraq plan, outline domestic agenda

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) President George W Bush will urge skeptical members of the U S Congress to get behind his plan to increase U S troops in Iraq in a State of the Union speech that seeks to address global-climate change.

With polls showing him at the weakest point of his presidency, Bush was preparing to deliver his annual address to a nation increasingly opposed to the Iraq war and unsupportive of his drive to send in 21,500 more troops.

In his 9 p m EST speech, Bush will be in the uncomfortable position of addressing a Congress entirely controlled by Democrats for the first time since he took office, a stark reminder of how much the political landscape has shifted since November's elections.

The White House said Bush would ask Congress and the American people to get behind his Iraq plan, arguing that it is ''the best way to succeed.'' He will propose establishment of a special advisory council made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties to consult on Iraq and the broader war on terrorism.

Two weeks after Bush offered his new plan, Democrats and many of his own Republicans are working on congressional resolutions aimed at expressing opposition to it.

Bush will use the lion's share of an expected 50-minute address to talk about a domestic agenda for the year. He will float proposals on reducing U S gasoline usage, expanding health care for more Americans, getting a new immigration policy approved and improving education.

Aides said he will ask Congress to set a goal of reducing American gasoline usage by 20 percent over 10 years through improved vehicle fuel standards and increased production of alternative fuels.

A senior administration official said the president would also call for doubling the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to 1.5 billion barrels by 2027.

Bush, under pressure from Democrats for a more muscular policy on confronting global climate change, believes the projected growth in carbon emissions from cars, light trucks and suburban utility vehicles could be stopped in 10 years.

Bush will ask Congress for the authority to reform and modernize Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars with the goal of reducing projected annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons, deputy White House chief of staff Joel Kaplan said.

On the economy, Bush will renew his call for a balanced U S budget by 2012 and plans to make a speech next week on the economy before sending Congress his fiscal year 2008 budget proposal on February 5.

REUTERS PDS RN0105