State of the Union addresses track the highs and lows of Bush presidency

Bush’s State of the Union addresses track the highs and lows of his presidency.

Speech history: George W. Bush’s State of the Union addresses are a history of the ups and downs of his presidency, of the times he got his way and the times his hopeful oratory was just that.

Some ideas advanced: Last year, Bush implored Congress to embrace his plan to send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq. Democrats failed to stop him or to set deadlines for troop withdrawals. The buildup is credited with lowering violence in Iraq, at least for now. Other ideas that succeeded were emergency relief in Africa and fuel efficiency.

Some flops: In 2005, he advocated an overhaul of Social Security, saying the program was “headed toward bankruptcy.” It went nowhere in Congress. For three years running, from 2004 to 2006, he appealed to lawmakers to approve a guest worker program as part of a major changes in immigration laws. Members of his own party sabotaged the plan.

Associated Press