Bush Prepares State of the Union for a Tough Crowd

Jan. 18, 2007 — -- Come Tuesday night, facing the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, President Bush will take his place behind the podium and address a Congress that, for the first time in his presidency, is not tilted in his favor.

"It's not going to be a typical State of the Union address in the sense of going at great length through all the budget items," White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said during a Thursday briefing. "It will address major issues, including the war on terror, energy, health care, immigration and education."

The topic of Iraq will make an appearance, most likely as part of Bush's discussion of the war on terror. The GOP minority will be looking to Bush to use the State of the Union to bring focus and the political upper hand to the nation's domestic agenda. Republicans are wary of letting Democrats take the lead in the domestic agenda, now that they are in power in Congress.

Getting considerable pre-Tuesday buzz is the outline Bush is expected to provide on climate change policy; it is widely expected the president will make a push for alternative energy and renewable fuels.

Comments by Al Hubbard, the White House energy policy coordinator and chairman of the National Economic Council, only fueled speculation on what Bush would outline as part of his energy plan.

In remarks at De Pauw University, Hubbard told reporters that Bush's speech would generate "headlines above the fold that will knock your socks off in terms of our commitment to energy independence."

What is clear is that the president will not go so far as to change his position on global warming by calling for a cap on carbon emissions. The environmental community and many of the country's international allies champion emissions caps as a mandatory step in combating global warming.