Bush Vows to Defeat Terrorism, US Recession

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 31, 2002

Bush Vows to Defeat Terrorism, US Recession

US President George W. Bush warned on Tuesday that tens of thousands of Osama bin Laden followers are "ticking time bombs" around the world as he used his first State of the Union speech to set a path for winning the war on terrorism and curing the recession-bound economy.

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Bush Vows to Defeat Terrorism, US Recession

U.S. President George W. Bush pledged to combat terrorism and economic recession with equal vigor in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Addressing a joint session of Congress, Bush urged Americans to be patient with the war on terrorism, to be steadfast in the protection of the United States and to know that creating new jobs is the best cure for the U.S. economy wounded by the September 11 terror attacks.

"Our war against terror is only beginning," he said, homeland security must be strengthened because "tens of thousands of trained terrorists are still at large."

Bush vowed that the United States will continue to be "steadfast, patient and persistent" in completing two objectives of the war on terror.

"First, we will shut down terrorist camps, disrupt terrorist plans, and bring terrorists to justice."

"Second, we must prevent terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world."

In his address, Bush saluted Afghanistan's interim government leader, Hamid Karzai, saying Afghanistan and the United States are now "allies against terror. We will be partners in rebuilding that country."

He reaffirmed that his administration will go on developing the controversial national missile defense system against attacks by weapons of mass destruction.

"We will develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect America and our allies from sudden attack," he said.

Since taking office one year ago, Bush has stepped up the pace of developing of a national missile defense system in order to prevent long-range missile attacks launched by what he called "rogue states."

On economy, Bush vowed that he would revive the struggling U.S. economy and create more jobs for Americans, saying that creating jobs will be his top domestic priority.

"When America works, America prospers, so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word: Jobs," he said.

The U.S. economy slid into recession last March and was dealt another blow by the September 11 terror attacks.

Economists estimate the real gross domestic product would contract about 1 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, after declining 1.3 percent in the third quarter. Its jobless rate rose by 1.8 percentage points to 5.8 percent in 2001.

The president urged the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass an economic stimulus package to help the economy recover. "For the sake of American workers, let's pass a stimulus package," he told the lawmakers.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the stimulus package last month, but the bill stalled in the Senate, where Democratic leaders said the business tax cuts are too large and its jobless health insurance subsidies too weak.

Hard-line policies against terrorism after the September 11 attacks have sent Bush's popularity to more than 80 percent at present, a record high for a one-year president, but his future is clouded by the economic recession, analysts here predict.

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Bush Vows to Fight Terror, Recession in State of the Union Address