Bush expected to hold firm on main policy issues

WASHINGTON -- In a seeming acknowledgment of the new political realities on Capitol Hill, President Bush tonight plans to offer his own version of healthcare and energy legislation, answering longtime Democratic complaints that the executive branch has done little to address the problems of global warming and the 46 million Americans without health insurance.

But while Bush's rhetoric appears more conciliatory now that he faces a Democratic-controlled Congress for the first time in his tenure, the president has shown no sign of compromising on the substance of his domestic or foreign policy goals, according to lawmakers in both parties who have had discussions with the White House.

As administration officials are reaching out to the new majority, the president has made it clear he will not give in on his strategy to send a "surge" of 21,500 more troops to Iraq, despite a skeptical American public and bipartisan opposition to the idea on Capitol Hill. Bush has said he will veto a bill easing federal funding for stem cell research if it reaches his desk, and he has issued a negative assessment of a House-passed bill that would cut the interest rates on student loans.

On the issues of healthcare and global warming , which are expected to be central themes of Bush's domestic policy agenda tonight, the White House has indicated no willingness to move closer to the approaches favored by the Democratic leadership. Democrats want mandatory limits on fossil fuel emissions and expanded employer-based health insurance.

Thus, members of both parties see the State of the Union address more as a preview of coming battles than an invitation to negotiate on important domestic issues.

"The president, obviously, will be using his veto pen more boldly than he has for the past six years," said Representative Adam Putnam , a Florida Republican with close ties to the White House. In six years serving with friendly majorities in both the House and the Senate, Bush has vetoed only one bill, a measure to expand funding for stem cell research.

Democrats were hoping Bush would be willing to come closer to their side on Iraq and some domestic matters. And Bush, in his initial round of meetings with the new congressional leaders, said he felt they could work together on issues of national interest.

But Democrats say subsequent meetings have been less fruitful. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said after a White House meeting this month about the escalation of troops that Bush had not consulted with congressional leaders, but simply told them at the meeting what he planned to do.

Representative Charles Rangel, Democrat of New York and chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. has reached out to him. But he said the White House has not shown a readiness for "conciliation," only "conversation." And on the matter of the Iraq war, Rangel said, Bush has not shown a willingness to hear out his critics.

Tony Snow , the White House press secretary, suggested that most of the responsibility for intransigence could belong to Congress, if it fails to enact Bush's proposals.

Snow said in his daily press briefing yesterday that the president will offer "bold proposals" in his State of the Union address that "Congress could, in fact, enact, and in the process make itself look good and, more importantly, do the people's business."

But Snow made clear the president will not deviate from his strategy in Iraq, despite vehement opposition from many members of both parties.

"George W. Bush as a president is not somebody who is going to cease to be bold because . . . right now people are concerned about the progress of the war. Instead, he understands his obligation as commander in chief is to go ahead forthrightly [to address] big problems and come up with solutions that not only are going to have political appeal, but they're also going to be effective in making life better for Americans," Snow said.

Nonetheless, the president has appeared to retreat on two issues: electronic surveillance and conservative judges.

The National Security Agency had monitored phone calls between Americans and alleged terrorist suspects overseas over the past five years. The White House said last week that it would no longer listen in on certain calls without first seeking approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a victory for members of Congress who saw the practice as an unwarranted and unconstitutional invasion of privacy.

But the concession came after a federal judge in Detroit ruled last August that the practice was unconstitutional. And Attorney General Alberto Gonzales , at an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday, refused to concede the legal point.

"That belief continues today that he does have the authority under the Constitution to engage in electronic surveillance of the enemy in a limited basis during a time of war" without the approval of the surveillance court, Gonzales said.

The president has also withdrawn a few controversial judicial nominations, in apparent deference to Democratic opponents. But with Democrats in control of the Senate, the nominees would have had a hard time winning approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy , Democrat of Massachusetts, said Bush still has time in his last two years to develop a legacy on immigration and education -- both issues the president is expected to mention during tonight's speech. On immigration, Bush has fought with Republicans who want stricter rules for immigrants, but Democrats have been more supportive of the president's proposal for "guest workers."

On education, Kennedy is continuing to work with Bush on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law, which sets standards for schools. But Democratic lawmakers say the president has not committed to full funding of the law, a disagreement that is relevant now that Democrats can hold up the legislation.

"If he's not going to make an effort to put additional resources into it, it's going to make the reauthorization very difficult," said Representative George Miller , Democrat of California and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.