Avoiding the sins of the father

Bush: Aware of the lessons of his father's administration

		The BBC's Tim Franks in Washington

Clearly this was a speech where President Bush wanted to tell Americans that the security of the US was top of his agenda.

This extended to the war against terrorism abroad, obviously increased homeland security and the health of the economy - his three great goals.

But Mr Bush and his advisors are keenly aware of the lessons of his father's administration.

They do not want to squander immense popularity gained in fighting a successful war abroad by neglecting to win necessary political battles at home.

The elder Bush was seen to be indifferent and out of touch as the nation slumped into recession

President Bush was quite explicit and quite lengthy about the continued dangers facing Americans.

He wanted to reassure the country that he was doing a good job in combating terrorism, and he also understands that public approval of the war on terrorism has lifted his presidency.

But he also wanted to say that terrorism remains a very clear, remorseless, ever present danger.

He talked about the fact that terrorist training camps still exist in more than a dozen countries. He talked about North Korea, Iran and Iraq, and said, "States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world."

While not explicitly saying that the US would launch attacks against these countries, at the very least he was trying to tell people that they should not be surprised if the US turned to these countries next in its war on terror.

The home front

But he was also very careful not to commit the same sin that his father did, which was to lose control of the domestic agenda.

Under very similar circumstances - fresh from the Cold War, fresh from the Gulf War - President's Bush's father also enjoyed overwhelming popular support.

President Bush's father enjoyed great popularity after the Gulf War

The elder Bush was seen to be indifferent and out of touch as the nation slumped into recession.

The cheering for this president got more intense as he turned his attention to the home front.

The cheering also became more partisan with several Democrats sitting silently as their Republican colleagues rose to their feet cheering.

Republicans cheered most loudly when the president called for his economic stimulus package to be passed.

The election challenge

For the president, this speech needed only to maintain the momentum that he has given his approval ratings.

Republicans hope to regain control of both houses of Congress in November elections, and they hope they can ride the coat tails of this hugely popular president.

But in this election year, Mr Bush will find it difficult to push an ambitious domestic agenda.

The Democrats face a difficult election year as they try to make a dent in the president's popularity.

And on the evening of the State of the Union address, it is always difficult for the party in opposition to answer the president with a speech given on a much smaller stage.

Enron scandal

But Richard Gephardt, the Democrat leader in the House of the Representatives, tried to draw differences between the two parties while also showing their support for the president during times of war.

"But while we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the war, we need not stand toe-to-toe on the economy," Mr Gephardt said.

He mentioned the Enron scandal that was notably absent from the president's address.

The Democrats face an uphill battle, but Mr Bush is not without his possible pitfalls.

The president understands that he must make progress on his domestic agenda, because if the economy remains in recession, his sky-high popularity could fall to earth and drag his party with it.