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WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush will defend his decision to send 21,500 more US troops to Iraq in his State of the Union speech today, arguing that a failure there would be "grievous and far reaching."
In speech excerpts released by the White House ahead of his remarks to a joint session of the US Congress, Bush said he and his military commanders carefully weighed the options and that he chose the troop increase "because it provides the best chance of success."
"Many in this chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq -- because you understand that the consequences in failure would be grievous and far reaching," Bush said.
Bush said he was proposing establishing a special advisory council on the war on terror made up of bipartisan congressional leadership.
"We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. And we will show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory," he said.
He warned that America's dependence on foreign oil left it "more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists" who could cause disruptions of oil shipments, raise oil prices and harm the US economy.
"It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply, and the way forward is through technology," Bush said.
He also congratulated the new Democratic majority in Congress and urged Democrats to work with him.
"We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air," Bush said. "Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people."
- REUTERS
