Bush insists he'll "sprint to the finish line"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With 15 months to go in office, President George W. Bush wants the U.S. Congress to know he has no plans to fade quietly away.

He might not have been "dialed in" on a children's health bill pushed through this month, but, in his own words at a news conference on Wednesday, he's sprinting to the finish line with the help of a bully pulpit and a veto pen.

On a collision course with the Democratic-led Congress on issues like domestic spying, the budget and Iraq, the Republican president rebuffed a questioner who asked if he was becoming irrelevant.

"Quite the contrary," he declared. "I've never felt more engaged and more capable of helping people recognize -- American people recognize -- that there's a lot of unfinished business."

Bush is finding himself in the familiar role of U.S. presidents toward the end of their term who struggle against perceptions of irrelevancy as media attention shifts to the candidates vying to succeed them.

Bush faces added difficulties as his approval ratings are mired in the 30 percent range -- the lowest of his presidency.

Reflecting his growing competition for the political spotlight, Bush, not known for relishing news conferences, told reporters that "believe it or not" he was looking forward to taking their questions.

He later gleefully reminded reporters that the news conference was "not my first rodeo," as he easily sidestepped a question he did not want to answer about reports that North Korea might have helped Syria develop a nuclear weapon.

Bush, who had once hoped to make an overhaul of the Social Security retirement program his signature domestic achievement for his second term, is now focusing on trying to acquire the mantle of a fiscal conservative by blocking Democratic spending proposals.

But he faces obstacles in some of those escalating spending battles, including one over bill to expand a popular children's health program, which he has vetoed. Bush accused Democrats of not seeking his input before settling on their bill.

He also insisted it was the Democratic leaders who control Congress -- not him -- who were running out of time in pressing their agenda and noted they were having difficulty completing spending bills before their session ends in a few weeks.

He did bring up the issue of his own future when asked to comment on speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin may try to maintain some control after a scheduled handover of power in Moscow next year.

Bush said he has been unsuccessful in getting Putin to discuss his plans when they met earlier this year.

"He wouldn't tip his hand. I'll tip mine," Bush said. "I'm going to finish -- I'm going to work hard to the finish. I'm going to sprint to the finish line, and then you'll find me in Crawford," he said, referring to his Texas ranch.