WASHINGTON — With war looming and the economy sagging, President Bush vowed Tuesday to “answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people” — especially Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
In his annual State of the Union address, Bush said he would dispatch Secretary of State Colin Powell to the United Nations on Feb. 5 to present evidence that Saddam is hiding chemical and biological weapons and has links to terrorist groups willing to use them.
“We will consult,” Bush told a joint session of Congress, “but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.”
But as if to illustrate that Iraq is not distracting him from the nation’s domestic worries, especially the sluggish economy, Bush spent the first half of his address arguing for new tax cuts, welfare changes, restrictions on medical malpractice lawsuits, government help for faith-based charities and changes to the Medicare system that would include a prescription drug benefit.
Republicans in the House chamber repeatedly cheered these and other proposals, while Democrats often sat stone-faced. Members of the opposition party later said that while Bush promotes economic and domestic security, the tax cuts he seeks would deprive the government of the money needed to make those goals a reality.
“The president used all the right rhetoric, but he still has all the wrong policies,” said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. “Regrettably, he passed up this opportunity to close the widening credibility gap that is putting him further and further out of touch with the American people.”
Others criticized Bush’s bellicosity toward Iraq, saying that military action — particularly without U.N. support — would create more problems than it solves, including the possibility of new terrorism on American soil.
The State of the Union address came at a pivotal time for Bush, who has seen his approval ratings drop below 60 percent for the first time since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The president — who watched his father lose re-election amid a recession, a year after confronting Saddam — faces rising skepticism about his economic policy and the risks of invading Iraq.
Democrats and several Republicans called on the president to provide more proof that Hussein is seeking weapons of mass destruction.
“The world, our allies, also are waiting for a clear explanation of why war,” said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.
In the formal Democratic response to Bush’s address, Washington Gov. Gary Locke focused on economic worries, saying that “to be strong abroad, we need to be strong at home.”
“And today, in too many ways, our country is headed in the wrong direction,” Locke said.
Republicans, meanwhile, gave the president loud standing ovations when he discussed tax cuts.
In laying the groundwork for possible military action, Bush said new evidence shows that Iraq is concealing chemical and biological capability from U.N. weapons inspectors and that Hussein has not accounted for the materials or proved they have been destroyed.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said he would seek a new congressional vote on war with Iraq, saying circumstances have changed since October, when the House and Senate approved a resolution authorizing the use of force.

© 2003, The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.