By John Whitesides

ELKHART, Indiana (Reuters) - Warning against delay and bickering in Washington, an energized President Barack Obama launched a new drive on Monday to win passage of an $800 billion (535 billion pound) economic recovery plan he said would help put millions back to work.

"Endless delay or paralysis in Washington in the face of this crisis will bring only deepening disaster," he said as he took his case for the huge rescue package directly to hard-hit Americans after running into opposition in Congress.

"I am calling on Congress to pass this bill immediately," Obama told a crowd of 1,700 at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana, where the White House said the unemployment rate had soared to 15.3 percent from 4.7 percent in the past year.

"Folks here in Elkhart and across America need help right now, and they can't afford to keep on waiting for folks in Washington to get this done," Obama said.

He said the plan would create or save 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years, "but not just any jobs -- jobs that meet the needs we've neglected for far too long and lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth."

The president, in office three weeks, is trying to regain momentum after a week in which a key cabinet nominee withdrew in a flap over unpaid taxes and his push for a stimulus plan hit unexpected snags in the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Obama flew to Elkhart, a centre for recreational vehicle manufacturing, to appeal directly to people hurt by the recession. He scheduled his first White House news conference for Monday evening to make a national appeal for Congress to move quickly on his economic plan.

The House of Representatives has approved an $819 billion economic recovery plan, while the U.S. Senate is expected to pass an $827 billion measure, but delays in fashioning a compromise could prevent Congress from delivering a final bill to Obama by his deadline this weekend.