Speaking at the headquarters of the 3M Company, which makes products ranging from post-it notes to high-tech fuels cell components, he called for tax credits for business research, increased money for federal science programs, and he talked about the need to improve math and science skills of American high school students.

NPR: Bush Promotes Competitiveness Initiative

Additional tax credits for choosing hybrid, fuel cell, alternative fuel and advanced lean-burn technology vehicles have been offered since 2005.

FORBES: Can Sirius XM Tune In Big Subscriber Growth This Year?

"I don't see it as a compromise, but as a transitional step" to a "full blown" policy of federally financing embryonic stem cell research, Doerflinger said, adding that if researchers found the experiments on the small number of cell lines promising, they would want to create even more cell lines, and that would create pressure to allow tax dollars to be used for more experiments.

CNN: Bush said to be 'struggling' with stem cell decision