President George W. Bush was upbeat about the future in his State of the Union Address.

The president addressed issues vital to Americans like the war in Iraq, energy concerns and health care Tuesday night.

In a speech that lasted 45 minutes, President Bush outlined the progress being made on the global war on terrorism.

"In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship, to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections" the president said about Iraq.

But the president stopped short of offering a time-line to bring troops home.

Bush also addressed some of the most pressing domestic issues affecting Americans -- energy and health care.

Amid recent criticism over glitches in the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, President Bush called for Congress to expand the use of tax-free Health Savings Accounts which the president said would allow people to set aside money for routine medical expenses.

He also proposed a plan to make America less dependent on foreign oil by developing more pollution free vehicles and funding additional research in alternative fuels. (he mentioned several)

John Podesta, one of Washington's leading experts in technology policy and former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff, touted new ethanol technology.

"There's a whole new set of technologies that are coming on line that would turn plant material and waste material into ethanol that's more efficient than the old traditional corn-based ethanol," Podesta told KFOX.

It's been a rough year for the president. The support for the war in Iraq has dropped in the last year as American causualties have climbed. There was the criminal investigation into the 2003 CIA leak which lead to indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide. The Bush administration has also been criticized for the slow response during Hurricane Katrina and for the current terrorist surveillance program.

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup polls show President Bush's approval rating at 43 percent since mid-December.

Washington aides have acknowledged that the Republican Party is nervous about re-election prospects in November.