Aides outline Bush State of Union address

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http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/02/01/sotu.preview/index.html

Aides outline Bush State of Union address
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 Posted: 8:15 AM EST (1315 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush in his State of the Union address Wednesday night will offer some new details of how he wants Congress to revamp the Social Security program and voice optimism that the election of a new Palestinian leadership opens the door to reviving the Middle East peace process, senior aides said Tuesday.

He will talk about goals for the U.S. military mission in Iraq but will not agree with Democrats who have called on the White House to offer an exit timetable in the wake of the Iraq elections, the aides said.<snip>

Much of the domestic agenda will be familiar, as Bush calls on Congress to pass legal reforms, his energy program, job-training initiatives and changes to immigration laws.

But the signature domestic theme will be Social Security, and without offering any new specifics themselves, senior aides promised Bush would give a more detailed outline of how he envisions major changes to the program, including an option for younger Americans to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private investment accounts.<snip>

The official repeatedly refused to answer when asked if Bush would acknowledge that benefits guaranteed now would have to be reduced to put the program on a better long-term fiscal footing. <snip>