Bush's State of Union speech has not gone down well with the Democrats, with presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dismissing his 'empty rhetoric' and 'failed policies.' -- PHOTO: AP

'Tonight, for the seventh long year, the American people heard a State of the Union that didn't reflect the America we see, and didn't address the challenges we face,' Senator Obama said of President Bush's annual keynote policy speech to Congress.

'Tonight's State of the Union was full of the same empty rhetoric the American people have come to expect from this President,' he said in a statement criticising President Bush's 'failed politics and policies of the past.'

Senator Obama hit out at President Bush for his economic stimulus plan announced last week that 'leaves out seniors and fails to expand unemployment insurance.' 'We know it was George Bush's Washington that let the banks and financial institutions run amok, and take our economy down this dangerous road,' he said.

Senator Obama's leading rival for the White House, Senator Clinton, called President Bush's speech 'more of the same - a frustrating commitment to the same failed policies that helped turn record surpluses into large deficits, and push a thriving 21st century economy to the brink of recession.' 'We need immediate relief for people who are losing their jobs and facing skyrocketing home heating costs. And we need a comprehensive solution to the housing crisis,' said the New York senator.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said President Bush offered a vision 'too small for many of the challenges we face.' 'The president gave no hope for an end to the war in Iraq, approaching the five-year mark, with no political reconciliation, and too great a toll on our troops, our trust, and our treasury,' the two Democrats said in a statement.

Responding to President Bush's claim that the Iraq troop hike of the past year has 'achieved results few of us could have imagined,' Ms Pelosi and Mr Reid riposted that the surge has failed in its original objective: 'to have the Iraqi government achieve the political reconciliation necessary to create a stable Iraq.' 'More than six years after the Sept 11th attacks, Osama bin Laden remains at large and Al-Qaeda remains the greatest threat to America's national security,' they added.

Senior Senator Ted Kennedy said President Bush's speech showed why 'Americans must be more convinced than ever that it's time for change.' 'They've heard seven long years of broken promises from this administration,' Mr Kennedy said.

'We didn't hear a real plan for tackling health care or education, our economy or the housing crisis, or even the war in Iraq, but we have a chance this year to elect a President who does,' said Mr Kennedy, who earlier on Monday endorsed Senator Obama's quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. -- AFP

Read Bush seeks support on US economy & Iraq in State of Union address