Bush Speech Comes Amid High Anxiety

The state of the union is anxious.

In the eighth and final year of George Bush's presidency, Americans have stomach-clenching worries about a recession, soaring fuel costs, huge budget deficits, the war in Iraq, fighting in Afghanistan, a showdown with Iran, global terrorism _ the list goes on and on.

It's a far different world from the one in which Bush first took the oath of office in January 2001. Then the U.S. had a budget surplus, its armed forces were not in active combat and the new president's approval rating stood above 60 percent.

Now, his approval ratings are near the lowest of his presidency, in the low 30s.

Bush is seldom …