President speaks to nation

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Tuesday night that tens of thousands of terrorists still threaten America, like "ticking time bombs, set to go off" and promised to stalk them across the globe. In his first State of the Union address, he pledged a battle of equal vigor to revive the ailing economy.\n"We will prevail in war, and we will defeat this recession," the commander in chief said, standing before Congress and the public with heroically high approval ratings.\nNearly five months after the Sept. 11 attacks that shocked the world, Bush pledged to push the war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan to a dozen countries that are believed to be harboring terrorist camps. \nOffering chilling evidence of terrorists' plotting, Bush said U.S. forces in Afghanistan found diagrams of American nuclear power plants hidden in terrorist hide-outs.\nBush entered the packed House chamber to boisterous applause from Republicans and Democrats alike. Seconds into his speech, he made a fist, and tapped it lightly against the podium as he declared that despite terrorism and recession, "the state of our Union has never been stronger."\nDemocrats, responding to Bush, sought to show unity on the war while reinforcing differences on domestic policy.\nHouse Minority Leader Dick Gephardt's (R-Mo.) words for terrorists were similar to Bush's: "Make no mistake about it: We are going to hunt you down and make you pay." But he also challenged GOP positions on Social Security, taxes and health care.\nIn a 48-minute speech interrupted by applause more than 70 times, Bush urged Congress to pass his tax-cutting economic package and challenged Americans to commit two years or 4,000 hours to community service. He hopes to tap the surge of patriotism since the attacks.\n"We can overcome evil with greater good," the president said.\nAmid extraordinary security, leaders of the congressional, judicial and executive branches gathered beneath the same Capitol dome that officials believe was targeted during the attacks on Washington and New York.\nDick Cheney, who has spent many nights in undisclosed locations because of security precautions, took the vice president's traditional place on the rostrum behind the president during the speech.\nIn the gallery, first lady Laura Bush was joined by several guests in her VIP box high above the well of the House, including interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai and firefighters, soldiers and other citizen-heroes whose stories helped buoy a weary nation.\n"The men and women of our armed forces have delivered a message to every enemy of the United States," Bush said. "You will not escape the justice of this nation."\nOutlining his post-Afghanistan battle plans, the president vowed to unearth "a terrorist underworld" of training camps in at least a dozen countries, including the Philippines, Bosnia and Somalia. He said nations will be given a chance to wipe out terrorists themselves, and the United States is willing to assist their efforts.\nBut, he warned: "If they do not act, America will."\nIn his strongest terms yet, Bush called North Korea, Iraq and Iran part of an "axis of evil," warning that their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction pose a "grave and growing danger" and will not be tolerated.\n"I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer," Bush said.