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The Domestic Agenda
On Education and Health, Costly Plans Face Hurdles

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 — Like most State of the Union addresses, President Bush's speech on Tuesday night offered several domestic policy proposals. And if the past is any guide, some will become reality, while others will not.

Mr. Bush's address last year was dominated by his proposal to overhaul Social Security with the creation of private investment accounts. The plan was debated for months, but it never had much support on Capitol Hill and died quietly last fall.

Mr. Bush all but acknowledged that defeat on Tuesday night, and proposed what many Democrats had insisted was the only way to deal with the long-term financial problems of Social Security and Medicare: a bipartisan commission.

Other proposals outlined by Mr. Bush in previous State of the Union addresses have met a better fate, including his sweeping tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug benefit. But some measures become perennial proposals, like tax credits to help people buy health insurance, which have yet to make it through Congress.

With federal spending now tightly constrained, some of the plans Mr. Bush presented on Tuesday could prove difficult to enact despite broad support.

Analysis of the State of the Union Address
Instead of the grand plans that have suffused his presidency, President Bush emphasized the familiar and the modest, David E. Sanger reports.
• Video Excerpts
• Graphic: The Words He Used

MORE ON THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS:

Transcript of Speech

Democratic Response

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High Hurdles for Proposals

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The TV Watch