Bush expected to pitch ideas on domestic issues

WASHINGTON – President Bush will offer ideas for dealing with domestic problems such as high energy and health care costs and international troubles such as Iran’s suspected nuclear ambitions in his State of the Union speech today.

The unspoken agenda underpinning the address, Bush’s fifth, is the rescue of his presidency from arguably its worst year.

Tune in

President Bush will deliver the annual State of the Union address at 6 p.m. PST today.

His poll numbers fell to the lowest point of his presidency under the weight of Hurricane Katrina, soaring energy costs, the withdrawal of a Supreme Court nominee, the failure of his high-profile effort to overhaul Social Security and increasing scrutiny from the public and Congress of the unpopular Iraq war.

While Bush’s approval rating has recovered slightly, it remains in the low 40s. It is a matter of concern for Republicans as they worry about maintaining control of Congress in this fall’s midterm elections.

“I can’t tell you how upbeat I am about our future, so long as we’re willing to lead,” Bush said at a photo opportunity Monday with his Cabinet.

Unlike last year’s focus on Social Security, Bush’s emphasis this year will be more diffuse, with proposals aimed at taming health care costs, moving America away from its dependence on foreign energy sources, remaining competitive in the global economy and getting the ballooning federal deficit under control.

Those four areas also are driving speeches that will follow the State of the Union. The White House says Bush will give one major speech per week for the next four weeks, and in each one will lay out one domestic initiative he introduces today.

Bush travels to Maplewood, Minn., on Thursday to discuss U.S. competitiveness. Proposals in that area will include boosting federal investment in math and science education, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush had not yet announced his ideas.

The president also is traveling this week to Nashville, Tenn., where on Wednesday he will recap of his State of the Union address, and to Albuquerque, N.M., and Dallas on Friday to continue highlighting his initiatives to keep America’s economy vital in an increasingly global marketplace, the official said.

Limited by the ballooning federal deficit and a small appetite for sweeping initiatives in an election year, the president is repackaging several staples from past agendas.

For instance, he was expected to propose tax breaks to speed fuel-saving technologies – such as powering cars with hydrogen fuel cells or ethanol or producing electricity from solar power or wind – into broader use.

He also was to ask Congress to expand existing health savings accounts, which allow Americans to contribute money tax-free to 401(k)-like health savings plans, and to permit greater tax deductions for out-of-pocket medical expenses.

On the global front, Bush said Monday he will talk about the need for the United States and its allies to be united in saying Iran must not be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.

“We’re working on the tactics necessary to continue putting a united front out,” Bush told reporters. “The other thing is that we want the people of Iran to be able to live in a free society.”

He was also expected to explain his strategy in Iraq and give a defense of a domestic surveillance program.

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