Hoping for hope

TUESDAY WAS a day of transition in Washington, with big changes at the Supreme Court and the Federal Reserve. President Bush was also looking for a fresh start last night as he declared that he would ''lead this world toward freedom" abroad and establish ''a hopeful society" at home. But his efforts to inject campaign-style fervor into his State of the Union Address will do little good unless they are matched by sensible policies that are more marketable than the ones he advanced last year.

He said last night that ''America is addicted to oil," without mentioning Exxon's just-announced $36 billion profit or the fact that his administration's energy policy was practically written by the oil industry. And his emphasis on renewable energy sources was welcome, but raising cars' gas mileage can be accomplished with existing technology, if there is a will. And Bush again ignored global warming.

''The hopeful alternative of political freedom" Bush offered as one antidote to terrorism, echoing the central rationale for US policy in the Mideast since the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were not found. But exporting democracy has proved difficult in Iraq, and the risks became all too obvious with the Hamas landslide in Palestinian elections.

Bush also focused on healthcare, recommending expanded use of health savings accounts, high-deductible plans that would allow individuals to save for medical costs in tax-free accounts. But the idea has proved no more palatable than the partial privatization of Social Security that Bush rode to its death last year. Even if more people signed up, it would do little to expand coverage. Bush claimed last night that government is ''meeting [its] responsibility" to help provide health care to the poor and the elderly, forgetting the uncovered working poor, whose numbers have increased steadily during his tenure.

''The American economy is preeminent" in the world, he said, ignoring the huge budget and trade deficits that make the nation increasingly beholden to China and other foreign powers.

''Our educated, hard-working, ambitious people" give the United States its greatest global advantage, Bush said last night, but in fact he is squeezing college loans and has underfunded the No Child Left Behind law so deeply that governors of both parties are protesting.

At a White House press conference last week, Bush said he was looking forward to one last national campaign -- the midterm congressional elections this year. ''As you know, I like to get out and tell people what's on my mind," he said.

But Bush has a lot of transitioning to do if he is to reverse the past year's record of missteps and unhappy surprises. This year, he might do well to listen as much as he talks.