Bush Tells Workers His Plan Will Keep U.S. Competitive

President Bush speaks about his "Competitive Initiative" to 3M employees in Maplewood, Minn. (By Larry Downing -- Reuters)

MAPLEWOOD, Minn., Feb. 2 -- President Bush pressed his new campaign Thursday to make the United States more competitive in the world by bolstering scientific research, technology innovation and alternative fuels, and he called on Congress to lift a cap on visas for highly skilled foreign workers.

Visiting 3M, a company known for space-age breakthroughs over the years, Bush made the case for his State of the Union package of spending increases and tax breaks intended to better position the nation against rising economic powers such as China and India.

"It's important for us not to lose our confidence in changing times," Bush told an auditorium of workers. "It's important for us not to fear competition but to welcome it."

The president's "American Competitive Initiative" may provide ground for a rare policy consensus between Republicans and Democrats in a fiercely polarized Washington. With little of the ideological freight of proposals such as his failed plan to remake Social Security, the package encompasses a variety of ideas that resemble priorities already advanced by the opposition on Capitol Hill.

For Bush, a bipartisan victory for these proposals could enable him to rebuild a little momentum after a year in which his more sweeping legislative priorities went nowhere, and to present himself as a forward-looking leader. But Democrats say Bush is more a follower in this arena, noting that they rolled out a similar-sounding agenda months ago.

"We must now go beyond words and speeches and make the commitment in next year's budget to a sustained investment in technological innovation and educational excellence to ensure that our country remains competitive," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday.

In the State of the Union speech, Bush proposed permanently renewing a tax credit for research and development at a cost of $86.4 billion over 10 years. He also proposed training 70,000 teachers to teach Advanced Placement math and science, recruiting 30,000 engineers and other professionals to become teachers, and doubling research spending on physical sciences over the next 10 years.

The plan that House Democrats made last year suggests that they and Bush are not far apart on some planks. The Democrats called for a permanent research and development tax credit, doubling research spending on physical sciences, and educating 100,000 new scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

The president on Thursday also called on lawmakers to lift the ceiling on visas for highly skilled foreign workers to fill otherwise hard-to-fill jobs, a high priority for many U.S. technology businesses. The government annually provides 65,000 such visas, which run out as soon as they come available. Bush offered no specific goal, but aides cited other proposals for 10,000 to 40,000 additional visas.

Bush started his day at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, appearing with the singer-activist Bono. "Please join me in praying that I don't say something we all regret," Bono said to laughter.

Bono, the lead singer of U2, who has made a second career out of pressing world leaders to do more to alleviate poverty and disease in Africa, pleaded with the assembled politicians to devote an additional 1 percent of the federal budget to overseas charity. "I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing," he said.

Bush did not respond directly to the singer's 1 percent proposal, which would amount to roughly $27 billion on top of what is already spent on foreign aid. But he said, "Bono, the true strength of this country is not in our military might or in the size of our wallet, it is in the hearts and souls of the American people."